The Misplaced Sands of Time and Space
by PokestarTheZylar
Summary: When a teenage girl finds herself in a strange world with creatures and people that don't physically exist back in her own, she meets up with some of the oldest characters from a TV series she used to watch. However, things begin to rapidly plummet downhill and the universe threatens to fall apart unless something is done to save it. Poke, Rocket, Contest, and Ikari Shipping
1. A Different Dimension

**_Chapter One_**

**_A Different Dimension_**

_Bounce._

The medium sized yellow and blue ball bounced on the roof. After two quick bounces, it came back to its sender, who was standing only a few feet away.

_Whack._

The ball collided with the forearms of a young female individual. It soared high into the air, exactly where she had intended it to.

_Whisp. _

After getting the ball under control with her first hit, the teen sent it flying upwards with the tips of her fingers. _A perfect set,_ she thought proudly to herself.

_Wham._

The open palm of her hand collided with the ball and sent it soaring onto the roof. She clenched her fists in happiness, for it had a been a perfect spike. Seconds later, though, the ball rolled over the top of the roof and came down on the other side of her house.

"Son of a biscuit!" She exclaimed with an aggravated tone. She let out an exasperated sigh and began walking to the backside of her house. This was the only downside of playing volleyball on the side of her house's roof.

She approached the corner of her house with a rather sulky expression on her face. She took a mental note to perhaps not hit the ball with such forcefulness next time. She turned to her right around the bend with her eyes set toward the backyard, but she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her double take.

The teen looked over towards the cluster of trees that were close her house. She saw a flash of unnatural bright green which immediately piqued her curiosity. Forgetting about her volleyball, she began walking towards the barbed wire fence that acted as a boundary between her home and the forest-like area. She crossed over it carefully, and then stepped into the foliage on the other side.

She began to lightly jog down the slope that led into the forest, and nearly tripped over a stick that had been lying in the tall grass at the base of the hill. She swore under her breath, but eventually recovered and began trekking over the general area where she thought she had seen the flash of green. It had been near the eastern end of the mini-forest. The cluster of trees were spaced fairly close to each other near the west side of the area where she entered, but they thinned out as you walked towards the middle. The entire area was fenced in, and on the north side you could see a corral that could be used to contain cattle when needed. On the southern side you could see a gravel road that leads up to a medium sized home, which just so happened to be on the west side of the forested area. The eastern side of the mini-forest was a pasture that the teen's family would often put calves and their mothers during the winter season.

After making it over to the eastern side of the area, where the trees began to grow more closely together again, she looked around for what had caught her eye.

At first she saw nothing. She searched around the large trunks of the elm and cottonwood trees, and saw nothing. She looked under aging logs and tree branches, but still couldn't find what had caught her attention. Disappointed, she sighed and decided that she should probably give up her search and go back up to her yard to work on her volleyball skills again, when she realized that there was a place that she hadn't looked.

Carefully approaching the northeast corner of the fenced in area, she looked at what she was surrounded with. Ages ago, children had used the area as a sort of hangout. They had brought old stoves, pans, pots, chairs, tables, and other miscellaneous items to play with, and had left most of what they had used in the forest. The old wooden chairs were nothing but splintered pieces of wood now, for they had decomposed long ago. However, most of the metal pots and pans had remained, and the stove had also maintained its figure. Of course, they were very rusted and chipped, but they were still tangible and solid.

Cautiously, the girl looked behind one of the old stoves. She was disappointed to find nothing behind it. She then turned to the other stove, and looked behind it. She kneeled down, but yet again, nothing was there.

_I must be going crazy, _she thought to herself. She sighed once again and stood up. However, once at her full height, she stumbled backwards in a mixture of fear, amazement, and disbelief.

Behind the side of the stove where the teen had first looked was sitting a living creature that she had never seen before, at least in person. It was trembling in fear, and the poor creature's eyes were filled with tears.

For a few moments, the girl and the creature simply stared at each other. The girl was trying to take in what she was seeing and make sense of it. The creature, on the other hand, was utterly terrified of the situation it was in. It had no idea whatsoever as to what was already happening to it, and to make matters worse, it had run into a person.

After a while, the teen finally chose to extend an arm to the creature. It simply sat there and stared at her with its teary eyes full of confusion and fear. When her hand nearly reached the creature's head, it cocked its head and made a noise that sent shivers down the girl's spine. It was not a menacing sound, and it had not been a horrific sound. As a matter of fact, it had been a sweet, gentle sound. It was the sound of a creature that was indeed, confused and lost. But the sound was so familiar, and completely unnatural to the girl's world that it chilled her to the bone.

It had been a chirping, trill-ish sound. "Ca…Nnaa?" It repeated. After recovering from her initial shock of it all, the girl set her hand on the creatures head. It felt smooth, but also soft and squishy, like the way a caterpillar feels. It had a thin layer of fuzz on it, and it felt surprisingly pleasant. When she finally summoned the courage to do so, she proceeded to ask the creature a vital question that she was certain she already knew the answer to.

"A-Are you a... a Caterpie?" She asked, her voice shaky. The little green caterpillar like creature nodded its head, and then the girl asked it another question. "So... does that mean... you're a P-Pokemon?"

The Caterpie looked at her as if she had grown an extra head. _Of course I'm a Caterpie, and of course I'm a Pokemon, _the little creature thought to itself in a confused manor, _she's so strange. She looks like the people that I used to see every once in a while back in the forest, but she's so much stranger and dense. Come on! How does she not even know what a Pokemon is? Doesn't she live in a Pokemon World, just like the rest of us?_

Seeing the Caterpie's bewildered expression, she asked her question again.

"So, are you a Pokemon or not?" This time the Caterpie answered with a quick nod of its head and a simply 'Ca.'

Now it was the girls turn to stare at it. She looked over all of its features. Of course, there was that bright green that had caught her attention. It was the base color for the top side of its body. The underside was a whitish color, but could also have been considered a very light gray. And of course, there were the pale yellow rings that were on each segment of the Pokemon's body. Its eyes were black, but were surrounded with darker yellow rings. By now, the little caterpillar-like Pokemon had stopped sobbing, but its eyes still showed how lost and confused it felt.

She made her decision. This _was_ a Caterpie, and it _was_ a Pokemon. But how could this be? She knew she lived in a world where there was nothing but animals that couldn't do anything but fight each other using tooth and claw. They had no special abilities. They couldn't breathe fire, they couldn't evolve... they were nothing more than simple, non-complex animals, at least when compared to a Pokemon.

"How... How are you here? What are you doing here?" She inquired the little bug Pokemon. It blinked at her, as if to tell her that it honestly didn't know for sure. She sighed with disbelief. She knew that a Pokemon couldn't just appear out of thin air. Maybe, perhaps, it didn't even know what it was talking about when it had indicated that it was a Pokemon.

"So... If you're a Pokemon, Caterpie, why don't you show me your string shot on that tree over there?" She pointed towards a large tree that had been providing shade for them in the intense July heat.

The Caterpie shook its head. _Doesn't she know anything at all? I can't just use my string shot attack for just anyone. They have to have a justified reason, and she obviously isn't my train- _The green bug was interrupted by girl asking something else from it.

"Hehhh," she sighed, "Maybe... What if I help you? If you can prove to me that you're a Pokemon by using one of your attacks, perhaps I can help you get back to... wherever it is you came from. Sound good?"

The Pokemon still looked skeptical. _How can I even begin to trust this person? She doesn't even know what a Pokemon is, for crying out loud! But... perhaps she could help me. Maybe she knows where I am... All I've seen since I've been in this strange place are things that look like smaller versions of Pidgey, and I can't communicate with them. Everything here looks so odd... Nothing is defined by lines, and everything is so... Realistic? It's so abnormal and different I cannot even find the correct words to describe it._

After a bit of reluctance, the Caterpie took a deep breath, and when it exhaled, sticky strings came out of its mouth. The girl was absolutely shocked by the sight. She hadn't seen anything like it before in her life. It appeared to be giant strings of spider web. In a sense, it mildly disturbed her. After the little green bug was done, it turned and looked at her, expecting her to say something.

At first she stared in awe at what had just taken place in from of her. _How... how did it do that? _She contemplated to herself. After a bout of thinking, she couldn't reach a logical explanation so she instead tried talking to the Caterpie again.

"Okay, so you have my trust. I believe that you are a Pokemon, and that you are, in fact, a Caterpie. What I don't understand, though, is how you're able to be here... How exactly did you get here? Things simply don't add up, for this is a place full of animals that don't possess strange powers like the uh, Pokemon from wherever you came from." She asked the basic questions that she had wanted to ask it. There were so many things that she needed to know about what was going on, but she had to remember that this was a Caterpie. If it was anything like it was said to be, it probably wouldn't be able to process what she asked it, let alone anything else that she wished to know.

The little green Pokemon cocked its head to the side, appearing to be very thoughtful. It really hadn't thought about that first question. How had it gotten here? The last thing it had remembered was going back to the tree that was hidden from every other Pokemon in her forest other than it and its best friend. They called this tree home, and normally, nothing extraordinary happened there. Up until today, that is. Now that the Caterpie thought about it, the last thing it remembered was crawling up the tree and into its nest. After that, the memory was vague. She sort of remembered the feeling of falling, but only briefly. She then recalled blacking out for a short amount of time before awaking to this strange place. This was where her memory got better. She remembered running around one of the trees like a Torchic with its head cut off, before spotting the girl walking towards where it was, which was when it disappeared behind a small metal object it had spotted. Other than that, she couldn't remember much. She tried to use gestures to explain to the teen what she had believed had happened.

She motioned for the girl to follow with its tail, and then brought her over to the tree it had believed was the one it had woken up near. It ran around it a few times, and then the girl examined it. She walked slowly around it, while letting her hand gently drag across the rough bark. She circled it several times, sliding her hand across it at various heights each time. After concluding that nothing special was going to happen, she looked towards the small green bug.

"Are you suggesting that a tree may have something to do with your arrival here?" She inquired, and the Caterpie answered by nodding its head vigorously. "I see. So... do you know which tree for sure might be associated with your presence here?" The little Pokemon shook her head, with an unsure look in its eyes. The girl understood, so she tried to be positive and optimistic about the situation.

"Perhaps we just have to try touching all of the trees over in this area. If we can't find anything, I suppose we can say that the way you got here is not tangible, and we may have to look for another answer. You look over by those trees," she motioned towards the trees to the far south, "and I'll look around these trees." She pointed to the few large trees that were already close to them. The Caterpie crawled over to its designated searching area, and began to wriggle around some of the trees. Meanwhile, the teen moved over to where she said she would search and began to run her hands along the trunks of the trees.

The first tree she tried was an aging cottonwood. Its bark had fallen off, and the smooth wood was exposed. She tenderly moved her hand along the wood and circled the tree several times. She sighed and gave herself a sideways frown. She decided to try the tree farthest to her left, which was the one closest to the trees she had told the Caterpie to go check. This one was a younger tree, and had plenty of thick bark on it. Yet again, she tried this tree, but still had no luck finding anything. She worked with two more trees before coming back to the one in the middle of her group. By this time, yhe Caterpie had finished checking the trees it had been ordered to check, and had come back to help the girl.

"No luck?" She asked the Caterpie.

"Ca-Pie." It shook its head sadly. Perhaps they would never find the way back to where it had come from.

The girl sighed. "Well... there still is one tree I haven't tried. Why don't you help me check it?" The little Pokemon perked up a little bit at her words and moved over to the tree the girl was standing by. The little Pokemon slithered up the side of the tree. This tree was medium sized, and it had all of its bark still attached to it. This made it easier for Caterpie to grip, and it began to crawl around the vertical sides of the tree.

The girl, on the other hand, had a tougher time with bark. It was much easier for her to let her hand gently slide over the surface of wood rather than bark, but she didn't really have much of a choice. She circled the tree at its lowest point at first, and then circled the highest point. At the same time, the little green bug Pokemon would circle wherever the girl was not; when she circled the low part, it circled the high part. They both circled their respective areas a few time before both of them moved down the middle of the trunk. The Caterpie was on the northern side of the tree, and the teen was on the southern side of it. The little Pokemon went to its right, and the girl went to her left. They almost crossed paths on the sunnier, western side of the tree, but they both moved just in time to keep their bodies from touching. They both continued to circle the tree, and then they encountered each other on the shadier, eastern side of the tree again. However, the girl failed to move her hand away from the Pokemon, and it ended up slithering onto her hand.

What happened next was bizarre.

It was like a portion of the tree had been turned to a jelly-like substance. At the touch of their bodies, an area about three feet tall and two feet wide had transformed into a strange, purple vortex. It had flecks of darker purple in it, and it appeared to be slowly swirling inwards. It took on this new appearance, and then almost as quickly as it had appeared, changed back into the barky side of the tree.

The girl was dumbfounded, to say the least. The Caterpie looked mortified, and had jumped away from the area as soon as it had transformed. It looked at the girl with huge, scared eyes. She looked back at it with fear reflecting in her own eyes. They continued looking at each other for a brief moment, before the girl turned her attention back to where the strange jelly-like vortex had been only seconds ago. She cautiously held out her hand and then proceeded to poke it. As it had before, it turned into a strange purple vortex, but as soon as the teen removed her hand, it faded back into the bark of the tree. The Caterpie cast a sideways glance at the girl before taking a jab at the strange sight with one of its forelegs. Yet again, it repeated the same process as before. However, since the little Caterpie had been sitting above the vortex the entire time, it began to quickly fall into it.

"Ca-Pieeee! Piiiii! CaNyaaa! Piiiiii!" The little Pokemon squealed as it was sucked into the strange purple area.

"Caterpie! No!" The girl screamed. She grabbed onto Caterpie's tail with her left hand. She tried to pull Caterpie out of the vortex, but she was instead sucked in herself, right behind the little green Pokemon. She took a deep breath, and allowed herself to be pulled into the portal along with the Caterpie.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_ _Yay. So as you've seen, this story has an OC in it. Trust me, we will only be centering around her for a few chapters so that I can introduce you to the main plot. Also, she WILL be around for practically the entire story. So, I really hope you like her so far. In the author's notes at the end of every chapter, I will post the word count. I know this chapter was fairly short, but I will try to make them longer in the future.  
_

_For my updating schedule: I will update on Fridays, unless I say otherwise. If I miss a Friday, I'll either update early Saturday or just wait until the next Friday, if this makes sense.  
_

_I'm a new writer, and I would really appreciate it if you could leave me some constructive criticism. If you see any reoccurring mistakes that I make, PLEASE tell me so that I can correct them. It can be anything from grammar, spelling, or over usage of a word.  
_

_Thank you for taking your time to read my work._

_**Word Count:** 3,202 Words  
_


	2. Into The Forest

**_~Chapter Two~_**

**_~Into The Forest~_**

_"Go, Caterpie!" She shouted. Her little green bug popped out of its Pokeball and cried out its name in pride. However, its excitement for the upcoming battle quickly diminished once it saw its opponent. _

_Above it loomed an extremely large and aggressive looking Charizard._

_The little Pokemon glanced back at its trainer. _Why? _Its eyes searched hers, looking for an answer. The girl looked back at the caterpillar Pokemon, with sadness in her eyes as she admitted, "You're all that I have. I'm sorry."_

_"Can we get this show on the road?" The raven haired trainer on the opposite side of the field yelled at her. He had been mature about her decision on which Pokemon to call out and hadn't laughed, but he was growing impatient with her hesitation to battle._

_"Yeah... I think we're ready over here," the girl responded. After that, the referee held up his red and green flags; the red one representing the girl, and the green one symbolizing the other male trainer she was up against._

_Seeing as she was already at a major disadvantage, she was quick to take action as soon as possible._

_"Caterpie, use string shot on Charizard's head!" the Pokemon emitted a sticky substance from its mouth and aimed it at the towering dragon-like Pokemon._

_"Charizard, fly up out of the way!" Charizard was easily able to move away from the feeble attempt of an attack. This caused the girl to let out a grunt of frustration, while the trainer on the other end of the field remained expressionless._

_"Caterpie, aim one of your string shots at his wings!" She was quick to give her Pokemon a new order, and her little bug responded to her words immediately_

"Use an ember to get rid of the string!" The opposing trainer shouted with vigor. Even though it would be an easy battle for him, he still always gave orders with intensity.

_Seeing her Pokemon's attacks rendered useless twice in a row aggravated the girl. _He isn't even on the offensive yet, _she thought hopelessly to herself._

_"Now use a flamethrower on it, Charizard!" The boy on the other side of the field yelled out to this Pokemon._

_"Get out of the way, Caterpie!" The girl ordered her Pokemon. Her little caterpillar Pokemon tried to evade the attack, but it simply wasn't fast enough. The flames licked at its back side, and the poor Pokemon squealed in pain. It hit the ground with a thud, and didn't move._

_"Caterpie, are you okay? Can you fight anymore? Please get up for me!" The girl was now calling out to her Pokemon in desperation. She was worried sick for it, but she also wanted to win this battle more than anything else at the moment._

_"Cnaaa..." Her little green bug gave a weak chirp, but then was able to sit itself upright again._

_For a brief moment, the girl tried to consider her options. Her Pokemon only knew two moves, which were string shot and tackle. She had already ordered her Caterpie to use string shot and it had failed, and she didn't dare try to use tackle for fear that her bug would be swallowed up in flames if it got too close to Charizard._

_She was interrupted by her thoughts, though, when the green trainer ordered his Pokemon to use another flamethrower._

_"Hurry and get out of the wa-" She never was able to finish her command, for her eyes were now set upon a horrific sight. Her Caterpie was engulfed in flames, and it was squealing in horrible pain and agony. She watched as its little body became more and more charred, but Charizard's flames wouldn't stop."_

_"Caterpie, Noooooooooo-"_

"-Ooooooooooooo!"

"Cnaaaaaaaaa!"

All of a sudden, the girl woke with a start. She was lying in some grass, and next to her sat a very shaken up Caterpie. Her first thought was to scream.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" She screamed. This, unfortunately, scared the little green bug and it squealed in terror as well.

"Cnaaaaaaaa!" They both looked at each with very fright in their eyes, and continued to scream like this for several seconds before they were very rudely interrupted.

"Pi...Ka... Chuuuuuuuuu!" All of a sudden, the girl's body was tingling with electricity. It wasn't a pain that was absolutely unbearable, but it was enough to cause discomfort.

"GAHHHH!" She yelled yet again, and she could faintly hear the Caterpie's cry next to her. After the electricity stopped coursing through her body, she fell to the ground with a 'thud' and began to twitch.

"What... was... that... for?" She weakly questioned to whoever had sent the electrical surge through her body.

"Pi." As soon as the girl had asked the question, a little yellow mouse-looking creature jumped down from the branch of a nearby tree. As soon as the girl saw it, her eyes widened and she felt more shock than she had just a few seconds ago.

"What the...?" She stared at it for a few seconds before truly comprehending what she was seeing. In front of her stood what appeared to be a Pikachu. It had the same yellow body, same red electric sacs on its cheeks...

"Are you... Are you a Pikachu?" She asked it. The little yellow mouse looked at her like she had said the stupidest thing it had ever heard before turning its attention to the Caterpie, who had been sitting silently nearby.

"PikaPi, PikaCHU! PikachuPi, Pi-Pi CHU!" The Pikachu exploded at the Caterpie, with an extremely angered tone in its voice.

"Cnaa... Ca-Ca! Nnnnnnn... Ca Nya!" The Caterpie seemed to be fighting back against the yellow mouse's words, and then it crawled over to where the girl was sitting and sat right next to her.

"PI?! PIKA PI!" The Pikachu now appeared to be enraged, and at this point the girl felt compelled to speak up.

"Caterpie... What is going on?" She looked down at the green caterpillar, and it looked up at her and began trying to explain what was happening in its native tongue.

"Cna... Ca, Cnaaa. Nnnnnnnnn, C-C-Cna!" The girl stared down at the Pokemon with a hopeless expression in her eyes. She didn't know what to do; this was almost as hard as trying to understand what her dogs and cats were saying when she was back home.

The Caterpie let out an exasperated sigh before trying to explain again, but this time through gestures. It poked the girl's side with one of its 'legs' to get her attention, and then attempted to explain to her everything by using leg and body movements.

On her first attempt, the Caterpie pointed to the Pikachu and then back to itself. The little bug certainly thought that was simple enough to understand.

And it was.

The girl took a stab at what the green caterpillar was trying to say. "You... You and that Pikachu?" She guessed, and the Caterpie nodded its head vigorously. It then pointed towards a tree that was directly behind where the girl was sitting. It was like the trees back where the girl had come from, with the exception of larger trunks and slightly darker bark. She took another guess at what the bug was indicating.

"That tree...?" It seemed pretty obvious, and once more, it was. Yet again, the little Pokemon nodded its head happily up and down before starting another gesture. This time, the Caterpie took its small appendages and tried to put them up to the side of its head. It then closed its large eyes and pretended to be asleep.

"You-You sleep..." The teen began, and the Caterpie opened its eyes and nodded, and then pointed towards the tree again.

"You sleep in the tree? You and that Pikachu?" The Pokemon seemed to smile and then ran circles around the girl. She laughed at the sight; it was so good-natured and happy to see. After the Caterpie calmed down, she decided to inquire it a little.

"So, what exactly are you trying to tell me?" She asked it, and the little bug looked up at her with a thoughtful expression before crawling towards the tree. When the girl got to the tree, she examined it. At first, she circled it a few times with her hand placed gently on the trunk, much like she had done to the trees back where she had come from. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, and she looked down at the Caterpie again, who had been sitting patiently nearby.

"Nnnnn-a-a-a," it called to the girl before crawling up the tree to a spot that was about seven feet off of the ground. It then disappeared into a hole in the side of the tree.

"Hey, Caterpie? Where are you going? Wait up!" The teen quickly reached up to the hole in the side of the tree, and then hauled herself up to look inside of it. Inside, it had been hollowed out to make a space that was probably about three feet wide and two feet high. The Caterpie was sitting on the left side of the trunk. When the bug saw that the girl could she its home, it then tried once more to communicate with her. The caterpillar moved out towards the opening of its den so that it could look out into the forest. It then pointed one of its legs in the direction of the Pikachu, and then pointed to the left side of the den where it had been sitting a few moments ago.

"Um... The Pikachu," the girl began, and the Caterpie gave her a brief nod before she continued, "stays on that side of the tree? Which means... you sleep on that side?" She motioned toward the right side of the hollow.

The Caterpie looked pleased with the teen. _Maybe she isn't as dumb as I thought, _the little bug said silently to itself.

"So, how does this help us?" She inquired the bug. It tipped its head to the side and stared at her thoughtfully again, as if to say "I was hoping you could figure that out?"

The girl looked back at the Caterpie with an interesting expression before turning her attention back to the right side of the den. She looked at it for a while, before a new theory dawned on her.

"Caterpie... Did you come here before you were transported to where we were a few minutes ago?" she asked the little green Pokemon, and it looked back at her with a shocked look on its face.

"Cnaa." It shook its head once with its head tilted to the side, wondering where the teen was headed with this.

"Did you, perhaps, come up here for a nap or something and lay down on your side of the den?"

Understanding crept into the Caterpie's eyes, and it gave her another shaky nod without making any sound. Slowly, the girl turned her gaze over to the right side of the hollow, and lifted the arm closest to it up. The slowly moved it towards the bug's sleeping spot, and then she gingerly poked it.

Upon doing so, it responded the same way as the tree back at her home had.

She turned her head to the Caterpie and gasped. It had a knowing expression in its eyes.

"So," the girl breathed, "This must be where you left, and I entered." The Caterpie looked at her, without moving or uttering a sound. Its eyes searched hers, not knowing what to do. They stayed like this for several moments, before a sound from outside the hollow broke the silence.

"Pika?" An aggravated and confused Pikachu spoke up for the first time since its outbreak at the Caterpie. Upon hearing it, the girl lowered herself from the tree, and the Caterpie crawled out of the hollow and came to the ground. When the Pikachu saw them, it couldn't figure them out. The girl looked as white as a sheet, and the Caterpie appeared almost mortified.

"Chu?" It inquired them, but they both stayed motionless before the girl leaned against the tree and slid down it until she was sitting at the base of it. Her eyes were far off and distant, and this disturbed the Pikachu. The Caterpie was in a similar state, except its head and tail drooped down so close to the ground that the appendages were touching it.

The Pikachu, suddenly concerned, hopped over to where they were sitting. It waved a paw in front of the girl's face first, and then waved its other one in the Caterpie's face. Upon seeing a paw obstructing her vision, the girl snapped out of whatever trance she had been in, and the Caterpie did the same.

"I can't believe it."

That was all the girl said at first. For a while, the Pikachu stared at her silently, as did the Caterpie.

"There... There really are such things as Pokemon?" The Pikachu glanced at the girl in confusion, and then looked at the Caterpie. It raised one of its eyebrows and swept its gaze between the two.

"PikaPi?" It seemed to ask its companion.

"Ca... Ca... Ca... CaNAAAAAA!" All of a sudden, the Caterpie burst into tears, and the Pikachu ran to its side to comfort it. It placed a hand on its back and muttered something to it in its own language before looking back at the girl with a confused and angered expression.

The girl could do nothing but stare. She had no clue as to what had just happened, but guessing by Caterpie's sudden outbreak; something horrid must have taken place. Even after several minutes, it was still inconsolable, so the girl decided to question the Pikachu.

"Pikachu." She addressed the little yellow mouse quietly before asking it, "Do you have any idea what is going on?"

The Pikachu arced an eyebrow at her. It couldn't believe how dumb a single human could be. _At least she's not my trainer,_ it thought thankfully to itself, before uttering a simple 'Pika' to her that it knew she would not be able to decipher.

"I-I can't figure it out. You know, as a die-hard Pokemon fan, I should be glad this is happening to me. But... I'm more confused than anything. I just... I..." Tears were beginning to well in her eyes. The Pikachu had no clue what was making its companion and this female act this way. For a while, the Pikachu sat in silence while the two next to the tree tried to work out what they had been through.

_This... This isn't possible. Things like this don't just happen every day. It doesn't make any sense. Even if Pokemon were real, what would be the odds that they are the same in their 'world' as they are in our 'world?' _The girl was slowly shaking her head as she contemplated her current situation. _You know what? I'm probably dreaming. But... In a dream, you typically don't assume you're dreaming. Well... It's worth a shot. _The teenage female then began to grab at her own skin and pinch it aggressively between her middle finger and thumb. She repeated this several time, eliciting a strange look from the Pikachu.

_Well then. That obviously isn't the case. Maybe... Maybe I'm in a coma! Let me think... I was playing volleyball before this happened. Perhaps the ball hit me on the head too hard? Did I accidentally run into the wall of the house? Did I somehow manage to dive headfirst into the sidewalk?_

While the girl was thinking about logical reasons to explain the pickle she was in, the Caterpie sat next to her, with its face parallel to the ground. Every once in a while, it would sniffle in uneven intervals. Although it was at home, it was having trouble taking in what had happened to it. The little Pokemon had _experienced_ something so bizarre and incredible; it had overwhelmed itself and had been driven to tears. Though, the green bug wasn't sure why. It hadn't experienced anything terrifying or horrific. In fact, it had been a magnificent experience. Perhaps it had something to do with the individual sitting next to it. She wasn't that bad of a human, despite her dense actions and ignorance to Pokemon. She was incredibly kind and _had_ helped it get back home.

"It's not going to do us any good just sitting here. Do you guys know what the name of this forest is? Are there any cities or towns outside of it?" By now, the girl had stopped thinking about reasonable approaches on the existence of this world, and was the first to speak up and disturb the silence that had ensued the three.

The Caterpie finally looked up from the ground and exchanged a glance with the Pikachu. They had heard the name of the forest spoken time and time before by passing strangers, but even if they wanted to tell the girl the name of the forest, they couldn't. So, they instead turned their attention back to the teen sitting near the tree and shrugged their shoulders.

"I-I see. Maybe... Maybe it would be best if I just left here. But, if I do that, I risk losing this spot and never returning back to my own home..." As she thought about her options, the Caterpie came and poked her in the leg. She glanced down at the little caterpillar and stopped talking.

"What?" She inquired the little bug. After it had been asked the question, the Pokemon looked up at her with wide eyes. It crawled up on her shoe, and sat there until the girl spoke up again.

"D-Do you want to come with me?" She looked at it with her eyes round with both happiness and apprehensiveness. She would be glad to have the little Pokemon accompany her on her trip to find civilization, if there was any. But, she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Unless the Pikachu came with her as well, they would both be vulnerable to wild Pokemon.

"Cna." The bug nodded its head happily and seemed to smile up at the girl, although it didn't technically have a visible mouth.

"This is great, Caterpie!" She exclaimed, and picked up the little bug and hugged it. She was careful not to squeeze it too tightly, because she would risk hurting it. However, the little bug didn't seem too deterred. The teen then remembered that the Pokemon was probably tougher than it had let on, for if Pokemon did fight in this world like they were depicted in her own, then the little bug could go through various stabs and flamethrowers without ever taking a life-threatening injury.

The Pikachu did not look as impressed with the Caterpie. It already looked down upon the girl because of her stupidity, and was not looking forward to going with its companion to help her.

"PikaPi." It spoke up, though its tone was full of irritation, as was its expression.

"Really?" The girl looked at the electric rodent with a surprised expression. It had appeared to be incredibly hostile when she first met it, and had kept up its irritated demeanor every time she had spoken to it.

"Pika, ChuPikaPi!" It exclaimed while pointing at the Caterpie in the female's arms. The little mouse acted very defensive, but the girl could not imagine what for. She shook it off, though, and began asking the two Pokemon important questions.

"While it flatters me that you want to come with me," she said, provoking an irritated 'chu' from the electric Pokemon, "I'd like to know for absolute certain that you two know this forest top to bottom, north to south, and east to west. I would be absolutely mortified if I couldn't ever return back to my home."

To answer her question, the Pokemon in her arms looked up at her and nodded its head sincerely, while the little mouse on the ground gave its answer with much less compassion by giving her a curt nod of its head while maintaining a stoic expression.

"So, you have no doubt that you will be able to navigate your way back here without any problem?" Once again, the Caterpie answered her inquiry with an enthusiastic nod of its head, while the Pikachu answered with less eagerness.

"Great. So, do you know how to get out of the forest?" This time the Pikachu answered her with a very annoyed response.

"PikaPi. ChuPi, PiPiChu Pika." It really wished the girl would stop asking pointless questions that had obvious answers. If she had paid any attention to the responses she had received to her earlier questions, she would know that asking any more inquiries like them would only contribute to her stupid impression on the yellow mouse.

"Alright, I guess that means that we should get going then, shouldn't it?" She asked the question, but a moment later, a new theory came to her mind. "You guys... You guys wouldn't betray me and leave me somewhere out in the middle of the forest, would you?"

This provoked an eye roll from the Pikachu, but the Caterpie only nuzzled closer to the girl, reassuring her that they wouldn't. After the Caterpie's display of affection, she actually felt a twinge of guilt for asking such an accusing question.

"So... Pikachu, do you wanna lead? Or should I let Caterpie do it?" The Caterpie looked up at her again, reluctant to let go. The yellow mouse saw its friends hesitation, and let out a sigh before saying a simple 'Pika,' which indicated that it would do it itself.

So they set off.

The girl continued to hold onto her new friend, and followed behind the Pikachu, who seemed to know exactly where it was going. They passed tree after tree, and this was when the girl finally had time to take in her surroundings. She stopped in her tracks and gasped, which made her green bug look up at her curiously.

Everything looked painterly, or at least that was the best way the teenage girl would have described it. It looked nothing like her surroundings back home, but it also didn't resemble the style that depicted Pokemon where she was from, either. Her surroundings were outlined with a thin line. It wasn't cartoony, but she could definitely tell there was a major difference in this place. It had natural shading, and it almost looked like a high quality Anime-Style painting. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she looked down at her arms, which were currently wrapped around the Caterpie. Not wanting to provoke any more glares from the Pikachu, she just looked at her arms with wide eyes. If she hadn't been holding a Pokemon in them, she would have reached out to touch her own limbs. They were so foreign looking, and she was having difficulty believing they were her own. The more she looked down at herself, the more she doubted her presence in this strange place. It just didn't seem real to her.

The trio continued walking for a long while. After what the teen assumed was a few hours, the sun began to set. This was when worry began to set in for her.

"Uh, guys, I... Where are we going to sleep for the night?" The little mouse stopped and cast a glance over its shoulder at the girl.

"Pika Pika." It shrugged and then scampered over to a tree. It climbed up it, and the sat down on a tree branch.

"That's not going to do me much good, Pikachu." The girl looked up at the Pokemon, and let out a weary sigh before gently setting the bug in her arms back onto the ground.

"Caterpie, why don't you go sit up there with your friend? I'm sure it will love your company." The green caterpillar looked up at the rodent for a moment, and then gazed back at the girl. Instead of scrambling up the tree to sit with its yellow companion, it sat down next to the girl.

"PIKA?!" The Pikachu looked appalled, and gave the Caterpie a stern look before crossing its fore legs and turning its head in the opposite direction with an annoyed 'Pi.'

While this took place, the girl sat down next to the tree that the Pikachu had chosen to rest in, and sat upon on the cold hard ground by herself. Her little green friend curled up next to her, and she was thankful that she had found such a sweet little Pokemon on her first day here. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

However, rest didn't come easily for her.

The first thing that came to her mind was her family. They'd surely be worried sick about her absence, and they might even call the police. She'd hate to worry them so much...

Deciding to break the silence and chat with her friends a bit before she fell asleep, she began asking them basic questions to get to know them better.

"Hey you guys... I don't really know either of you too well. If we're going to be together for the next few days, would you mind maybe telling me your genders?" The girl assumed that the two Pokemon had enough intelligence to know themselves, and quite frankly, she almost thought that it would make both her and them uncomfortable if she checked them like she would have an animal back home. She decided to ask the green caterpillar curled up next to her first.

"So how about it, Caterpie. Are you a boy...?" The Caterpie looked at her with its eyes shining in the moonlight. It shook its head, indicating that it was not. The girl gave a brief smile before more or less stating, "So you're a girl then." The Caterpie shook its head proudly and nuzzled the girl's hand. She placed it over the bug, and then the Pokemon sat motionless again, sleep beginning to overcome her.

"So, Pikachu, what about you? Are you a girl, too?" She almost expected the yellow mouse to give a snarky reply, but instead, it looked down at her from its perch and nodded its head briefly.

"Pi." It confirmed her theory, and then resumed her comfortable spot on the branch.

"Well, isn't that nice... We're all girls here, then." She smiled inwardly to herself at the thought, because in all honesty, she did have a slight preference to female creatures, whether they are animals or Pokemon. It wasn't that she didn't like the other gender, or that she was sexist, it was just that sometimes she felt females could be a little brighter at times, and maybe it was because of her experience with her own dogs.

The Caterpie was now fast asleep, and was beginning to let out gentle snores, which elicited a giggle from the girl.

"You know... I would let you guys know my name, but I think that both of you are probably fast asleep by now," She whispered to her two new friends. The Caterpie in under her arm didn't stir, and the Pikachu didn't reappear from around the tree, so she let the thought go and attempted to sleep again.

* * *

The next day, the sun began to peak over the trees and shine on the trio consisting of a human and two Pokemon in the forest. Everything had been peaceful throughout the night, for Pokemon were not notorious for attacking people with their own Pokemon with them, especially at night. They also held a little bit of respect for them, and thought it was almost rude to attack sleeping travelers.

"CNAAAAAAA!" The girl who had been in a deep sleep was jolted awake by her little green friend squealing and flailing in her arms. She had broken the peaceful morning silence, and had even startled some nearby Pokemon.

"What the…? Caterpie, what's wrong?" She exclaimed before standing up with the bug held tightly in her arms, trying to soothe her by tenderly stroking her head.

"PikaPi? ChuPi?" The Pikachu whipped her head around from the side of the tree she had spent the night on. She had been awake for a while now, but had decided not to move until her friend and the girl started to stir.

"I-I dunno! She woke up this morning and started spazzing out like this!" At first the mouse was startled that the girl was able to decode her speech so quickly, but then turned her attention to the more important issue at hand. By now, the girl had set the green bug on the ground, and she had begun running around in circles like a maniac.

The little rodent generated a small amount of electrical energy and zapped her friend for a brief moment. Unfortunately, this proved futile. The Caterpie screeched even louder and began running around in a berserk manor. She was making quite a fuss, and out of the corner of her eye, the girl could see what appeared to be a Rattata sitting at the base of a bush with an amused look on its face.

"PikaPIKA!" The yellow mouse caught the girl off guard, and the next thing she knew, all was quiet. She had sent a much stronger volt of electricity through the bug this time, and now she had fallen to ground, with a thin layer of soot covering her body.

"Pika Pika Chu! Pi Pika Pi Chu!" The Pikachu walked over to her friend, and stood directly over her with a look of disbelief on her face. She then raised her forepaws as if to say 'what was that about?'

For a while, the Caterpie lay still on her back, and for a moment the Pikachu wondered if she had possibly sent too much voltage through her friend. Luckily for her, though, the bug slowly rolled over onto her legs and stood up to her full height.

"Pi. Cnaa, Cnnnn, Pi Pie." She attempted to cross her front 'legs,' as if to defend a point she had made. The Pikachu looked at her and tried to say something, but her mouth just open and shut like a Magikarp's.

Meanwhile, the girl watched them with confusion plastered all over her face. Although she had somehow managed to understand the Pikachu earlier, she couldn't decipher what either of the Pokemon were saying to each other now. She could see what emotions they were depicting, but she still wasn't quite sure what they were fighting about. Being someone who disliked fighting, she decided to take matters into her own hands and tried to make peace between them.

"Guys... Look. I have no idea what you two are going on about, but in case you haven't noticed, I have no idea where I am and I kind of wanna get back to my own family sooner or later."

The Caterpie shot the Pikachu a death glare and came back to the girl with her head hanging low. When she looked back up at her, she had guilt written on her face.

"You're forgiven." The girl gave the bug a half smile, and then bent down close to her ear.

"Caterpie, I'm just going to take a guess here, but were you possibly having a dream about... about a battle?" At the mention of a battle, the green caterpillar backed away from her a little and gave her a shocked look. That had, in fact, been just what she had been dreaming about. Before she knew it, the girl was near her again, saying something else.

"And... was the battle against a big, ferocious Charizard?" Upon hearing the name, she cocked her head to the sound of it. It sounded surprisingly familiar, though the Caterpie had never once seen a Charizard during her lifetime, nor had heard the name anywhere other than her dream. Yes, she had seen a Charmander or two around the forest every once in a blue moon, but nothing like the huge dragon-like Pokemon she had encountered in her vision.

Seeing her friend's bewildered appearance, she whispered to her, "A big, orange fire-breathing dragon?"

After hearing the description of the creature, the Caterpie slowly nodded her head. The description matched what she had seen in her dream.

"Now, I have two more questions for you. Was I your, uh, trainer in this dream, and did you have the same dream yesterday when you and I er, arrived here?" Mildly disturbed by the girl's knowledge of her nighttime affairs, she backed away further this time, while slowly nodding her head again.

"That's what I thought." She whispered to it. Seeing how the bug almost looked a bit scared of her now, she decided that she probably needed to explain to her how she had known exactly what the Caterpie had envisioned overnight.

"See," she began, "yesterday, before we both woke up screaming at each other, I was having the same dream. I didn't think much of it at the time, and pushed it to the back of my mind, but when you woke up screeching around like a banshee, I decided that it might be the cause of your terror." For a while, the Caterpie just looked at her. She was disturbed by this news, but also slightly fascinated.

_Are we somehow connected to each other?_She thought excitedly to herself. Over the time they had been together, she had started to really take a liking to the female, much to her yellow companion's dismay. She thought it would be fun to have some sort of special connection and bond between them.

"PiPika Pi." For the first time in a while, the Pikachu finally spoke up, and while she did so, she motioned for the two friends to follow behind her so they could continue to the outer regions of the forest. The faster her and her green buddy left this girl, the better off they would be.

So they walked. They trekked along a path for some time with a comfortable silence. However, being someone who despised silence and for some reason had the urge to constantly run her mouth, the girl decided to start a conversation with the two Pokemon, even if they couldn't fully get involved in it.

"So, seeing as I know you guys a little better after last night," she began, "I feel like maybe I should let you two get to know me a little better. Wanna know what my name is?"

"Cna." Caterpie, who had been crawling beside looked up at her with a gleeful look on her face. Pikachu, on the other hand, simply shrugged.

"Sandy. Sandy Desertblossom. Well, technically, my full legal name is Sandra Desertblossom, but I rarely get addressed as so." She chuckled a little bit at her official name. It sounded too professional for her even if it wasn't much different than her nickname. She personally didn't really like going by it, even though the variation was minor.

Caterpie, who had been looking up at her seemed to smile, and hopped in the air a few times to let her know that she liked her name. Pikachu didn't react at all.

"You know, it's kind of strange, really. Back home most people typically don't have last names like that. Most of us have last names like 'Smith' or 'Moore.' It's kind of odd when someone has a more exotic name like 'Desertblossom.'" She chuckled at her own words, though no one ever really confronted her about her name, she always knew it was quite different.

"You know, I feel like this may be a bit rash, but I was wondering if you two would allow me to give you names? I'm not saying that I think of you as my own Pokemon, but I feel like it gives any living thing more individuality if they are given a name. Like, back home I don't just find a random animal like a dog and call it 'Dog,' do I? No. I come up with something new and creative. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to give you the first name that pops into my head when I look at you."

At the mention of these words, the Pikachu stopped and tensed up. When most people name their Pokemon, they typically give them names that the yellow mouse would dub as 'really stupid.' with her luck, this girl would be no different, and she'd probably give her a dumb name like 'Yellow' or 'Charge.' At the same time, she was confused by her words. What, exactly, was a dog? Or an animal, for the matter?

"Kasumi and Delia." At the mention of the semi normal names, the Pikachu quickly spun around to face Sandy, with relief clearly showing on her face. She didn't know which one she planned on calling her, but if she was going to be named either, she preferred to go with 'Kasumi.'

"You," she pointed at the Pikachu, "will be called Kasumi." At the sound of this, the yellow mouse gave Sandy a brief smile. Although she had never grinned at her before and for the most part never wanted to, she was fairly thankful she had given her a decent, almost pretty name that she actually sort of enjoyed.

"And you," she addressed the Caterpie, "shall be known as Delia." Upon hearing her new name, the little bug gave an excited squeal and begun bouncing up and down. She really liked her new title, and was overjoyed at how lovely it sounded when Sandy said it.

"I see you both like those names. Like I said, I don't think you're my own Pokemon, nor do I believe I can use you as such, but I feel like I should treat you as equals." Kasumi tilted her head at the teen, with a thoughtful expression written on her face. She thought most humans wanted nothing more than to use their Pokemon for success, power, and fame. She never thought they even cared about a Pokemon's feeling, let alone wanted to treat them as an equal.

"You know, I know both of those names probably pertain to this world, but that's only back in my uh, world. See... the way I know this place, there should be people here by those names or names similar, but you know. Things are already scarily similar, and I find it highly unlikely that the same people inhabit this world." After finished her statement, she really felt like there wasn't very much else to say.

So she continued to walk proudly along.

Delia, still smiling from learning her new name, scampered up close to her and poked her leg. Taking this as a sign that she wanted to be held, Sandy bent down and grasped the caterpillar around her midsection. She lifted her up and wrapped her in her arms like she had seen her favorite Pokemon character do so many times before on television.

* * *

After a few hours of walking, the sun was beginning to descend into the western side of the skies. Or at least, what Sandy thought was west. For all she knew, west could be east in this crazy world.

As the trees began to thin out, the teen thought she could finally see some meadowland and started to sprint. Sometime after noon, Delia had fallen asleep in her arms and was now jolted awake as the gentle motion of Sandy's body began to hasten and become much bumpier.

She sped a head of Kasumi, who was taken off guard by her action. The yellow mouse decided to run up ahead again, and once they were out into the open, they all came to a dead stop.

"Wow,' the girl breathed. Down below were the rolling hills that were coated in lush, green grass. It wasn't something that was foreign to her, for there were plenty of hills and foliage back home. It was, instead, the way it all looked so different. To her, it was like a huge, realistic mural.

Down where the land began to flatten out into landscaped area, she saw houses.

Lots of houses.

Although there had been a house here or there along the countryside, this was a much, much more urban area. As much as she disliked cities, she had to admit that the sight was very beautiful.

After marveling over the scenery before her, Sandy racked her brain and tried to think of where she could be. Taken that she had seen a Pikachu, Caterpie, and various other Kanto species in the forest such as Rattata, Pidgey, and even a Mankey, she knew that she almost certainly had to be in Kanto. Thinking back to the games she had played that took place in Kanto, and all of the Anime that had taken place there back when she was little, she came to a conclusion.

"Hey, Kas, Delia, are we in... Did we come out of Viridian forest?" She turned to look at her two companions, glancing back and forth between both of them.

"Ca." Delia nodded her head, while Kasumi seemed to ignore the question.

"Huh. So, I'm assuming that town down there is Viridian City?" Before letting either of the Pokemon answer her question, she began searching for a sign or any type of written indication that could confirm her theories. She started to run down the hill, Kasumi and Delia right on her heels.

When she finally got to the bottom of the hill, she had to take a short break. She already wasn't in the best of shape, and to top it off, her asthma had started to kick in just the slightest bit. After finally catching her breath, she glanced around for any type of proof that she had been in Viridian Forest. The sunlight was rapidly fading, so she had to work quickly. Fortunately for her, she eventually found a sign, and it had a few words printed on it.

In big letters at the top, it read 'Outskirts of Viridian Forest.' Below it, there were two more lines, one reading 'Viridian Forest-1 Mile' which pointed to the left, while the other had the words 'Viridian City-5 Miles' written in white letters, pointing to the right.

After quickly glancing down at Kasumi and Delia, Sandy started to run on the pathway to the right of the sign.

* * *

_Author's Notes: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know that this beginning is really dragging along and you're probably thinking: "Come on! Just get to the characters we know already!" Well, lucky for you, more familiar characters will be coming in the next chapter. These two chapters are here to introduce you to Sandy and some of her Pokemon, and trust me, she shouldn't be the main focus for too much longer._

_By the way, I'd like to give a shout out to my two reviewers, BootReer and Ready to fly, who left me two very sweet reviews. The support really means a lot, and it motivated me to continue writing._

_Well, that should be it for now. My next chapter SHOULD be out by next Friday. Hopefully._

_**Word Count:** 7,067 Words_


	3. Confidential

_**~Chapter 3~**_

_**~Confidential~**_

The sun was beginning to rise over Pallet Town, and was warming up the countryside. A few Pokemon were beginning to come out, and now you could hear the occasional call coming from some of them. The Professor took a sip of his coffee as he looked out the window overlooking his Pokemon ranch, and let out a sigh of contentment. Everything had been normal for quite some time. Nothing new had really happened, yet he was fine with it. Although every once in a while he wished that there could be something more excitement, he decided that giving trainers their starter Pokemon and taking care of other trainer's Pokemon such as Ash's wasn't such a bad thing.

After a few minutes of staring out the window, he stood up to get more coffee when Tracey came into the room.

"Professor, would you like me to feed the Pokemon right now?" He inquired him. It wasn't so much of a question, as a request for the professor to lend him a hand in the task.

"Ah, sure Tracey. I'd be willing to give you a hand if you need i-" The Professor was stopped midsentence by a knock on the door. He gave a questioning look to Tracey, for they had not been expecting anyone this week, let alone today. Tracey decided to save Professor Oak the effort of walking over to the door and instead went and answered it himself. He took hold of the doorknob and opened it to find a girl standing just outside the doorway. She appeared to be in her teens, probably either fourteen or fifteen. Her eyes were a bluish gray, and she had dirty blonde hair. She was actually fairly attractive, but her attire wasn't doing her a lot of justice.

She wore a very skimpy black tank top and rather short shorts. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, although a few strands of loose hair had fallen out of it and were dangling down on the left side of her face.

Though she seemed perfectly normal, something about her was... Different. Tracey couldn't seem to put his finger on what it was, and decided to speak up since they had been standing in silence for an irregular amount of time.

"Uh, hi. How may I help you?" He asked her nervously. Her presence wasn't very intimidated, yet Tracey couldn't help but feel apprehensive around her.

"Oh, hello. I'm here to see the Professor Oak. Is he here right now?"

"Uhm, yeah. He's here. Come in, and you can see him." Taking the invitation, the blonde followed Tracey into the lab, and looked around, fascinated by the lab equipment. This only added to Tracey's suspicion of the girl, for the machines that surrounded them were pretty basic, and were used for transporting Pokemon and other similar tasks; nothing out of the ordinary.

_Maybe I'm just being paranoid,_ Tracey thought to himself doubtfully. He decided to ignore the strange feeling she seemed to radiate, and tried to treat her like a normal person.

"So, what exactly do you need to see the Professor for?" Tracey asked her casually, trying to break the silence that had fallen between the two.

"Well, I just need to discuss some uh, matters with him. That's all." She spoke fairly confidently, though the Pokemon watcher could detect the slightest bit of apprehension in her voice. Trying his best to not feel bothered by her words, he led her to the room where Professor Oak was without saying anything else.

"Hm? I see you've brought us a visitor, Tracey." He glanced at the watcher with an unreadable expression, but then continued speaking. "What's your name?"

"Sandy Desertflower. It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor." She was polite and seemed to think highly of Oak, so he smiled at her decided to cut to the chase.

"Nice to meet you, Sandy. What happens to bring you here?"

"Well... I actually need to discuss some matters with you."

"Cna." For the first time, Tracey and Professor Oak noticed the Caterpie that had been following behind the blue eyed girl. It wasn't alone though, as there was also a Pikachu trailing her, but further behind.

"Huh... Your Pokemon seem to be in fairly good shape. How long have you had them?" Sandy was slightly taken off guard by the compliment, but after remembering that the dark greened man was a Pokemon watcher, she proceeded to give him an answer.

"Oh, maybe five days. I'm not for absolute sure." Her response left Tracey bewildered, and he wasn't quite sure how to reply to her words.

"That's uh, that's nice. T-They look pretty healthy for being so freshly caught." The dark green haired Pokemon watcher gave a shaky reply, to which Sandy came back with another unexpected response.

"They're not mine. They're just friendly Pokemon who decided to tag along with me on my trek here." Her words were spoken calmly, and Tracey had nothing left to say back to her. By then, the Professor decided to speak up.

"Hm. Anyways, Sandy, you wished to speak with me?" Turning her attention to the Pokemon Professor she gave a polite nod and began to talk again.

"Yes, and I have some rather... important issues I must discuss with you. Alone." When she said the last word, she glanced over at Tracey, and Professor Oak took the hint and signaled for the Pokemon watcher to leave. The green haired man gave him an odd look before exiting through the door, closing it behind him.

"Okay. Now that we're here, what could you possibly want to tell me that could be so important?"

"Ah. I suppose I should be blunt and straightforward, but first there is something vital I must tell you first."

"Oh, and what would that be?" Oak raised an eyebrow at her, before letting her continue. However, she paused for a few moments before saying anything. She seemed to be collecting herself, which the Professor perceived as strange.

She closed her eyes with an almost pained expression, before telling him the words that were more than likely going to be the easiest and most believable of all the data she was going to bestow upon him. "The following information I am about to tell you is confidential, and should be kept as so. I find you to be one of the more respectable figures in this world, and I feel like I can trust you the most with this knowledge."

Befuddlement was clearly shown on Professor Oak's face after her statement. What kind of information could she possibly have that would require such secrecy? The Professor stood silent for a few seconds recuperating, and once he had recovered from his initial shock, he continued. "Go On."

Once again, Sandy paused a few moments, gathering herself. "I'm not from here."

The second those words left her mouth, the Professor cocked an eyebrow and stared at her suspiciously. Was she ill? Did she have a health problem? Was she fooling around? "Well, I do suppose not many people are from Pallet, and I can't say I've ever seen you around." He half-heartedly chuckled, but seeing her unwavering serious expression, he ceased his laughter.

"I don't think you quite understand my statement, and perhaps I didn't word it quite like I should have. Maybe you'll understand this better: I'm not from this world." She continued staring at Oak with the same look, trying to indicate that what she said was not a lie. Unfortunately, her efforts were useless.

Immediately, the Professor looked at her like she had sprouted another head, before he asked her, "Is this some sort of joke?"

The blonde didn't flinch, but instead held her gaze and continued trying to persuade him. "No, I assure you that this is in fact, not a joke. You even ask Delia here," she motioned down at her fuzzy green companion, "what her opinion is on the matter. She knows the truth." Backing up her human friend, the Caterpie shook her head vigorously to help defend the blue-eyed girl's words.

Still, Professor Oak continued to look displeased. He had never heard a claim like this before. It was rather far-fetched, and was a strange claim, to say the least. What exactly was suggesting with her words? Did she mean she was an alien from another planet, or something else? If that was the case, then how had she known that he was a figure with higher authority? "I... I don't believe you. As far as uh, anyone here knows, there aren't any aliens or other life forms from other planets that have been discovered."

"Ah. I don't believe you really understood me. You see, I..." Sandy paused and furrowed her brows. How on earth could she possibly phrase this so that he could understand? So that he wouldn't look at her like she had several arms growing from her head?

"What I meant is, I'm not from this _world. _I'm not quite sure if I can use words to really describe what I truly mean." Sandy gave him a helpless look, and then tried to continue. "I suppose you could say I'm... I'm from another dimension, maybe?"

Oak held his lips tight. "And how do you expect me to believe you.

"I can give you physical proof."

The thin blonde still looked at him, her expression unreadable. Her green caterpillar nuzzled her leg for encouragement, while her electrical rodent stood further behind her, with a stoic expression and folded arms. Meanwhile, the Professor cocked an eyebrow at her, still seeming unconvinced.

Seeing that he still did not believe her, she decided that trying to explain it to him was going to be pointless. So, the blue eyed girl decided to go with drastic measures. "I guess you're not going to believe me if I tell you, for I don't even fully understand it myself. If you want proof of this, please come to Viridian Forest with me."

Oak looked a little taken aback by her offer. Viridian Forest, although closer to Pallet than some of the other cities around Kanto, was still fairly far away, 85 miles to be exact. It wouldn't take them very long time to drive there, but it would be a waste of the Professor's time if she really was messing with him.

But something in her eyes made him begin to think that there truly was some truth behind her statements. The feeling she emitted in the space around her also caught him off guard. She felt... different. That was the best way Professor Oak could describe the feeling she seemed to create around herself. After remaining silent for several minutes, his curiosity got the best of him and the graying man made up his mind.

"I think I'll come with you. I don't know if you realize this, but Viridian alone is 80 miles away. If you are lying to me, and there is nothing special in Viridian, I will be very upset with you." Sandy, who had been waiting in anticipation for his answer smiled and gave him a small nod.

"That's great! Trust me, Professor; you will not be disappointed with this expedition. May I ask, though, how will we get there? It took me three days just to get here, and I really don't feel like trekking that far again." The last thing she said elicited a chuckle from Oak, as new travelers were never fond of walking places; though they usually got used to it over time.

"I suppose I can let you decide. We can go by vehicle, which would be quicker, or we could do it the slower, more enjoyable way: on the backs of Pokemon." The blue eyed teen looked excited after hearing the latter of the suggestions, and immediately voiced her opinion.

"We can actually ride on the backs of Pokemon? That is so amazing! What kind of Pokemon would we use, though?" Upon hearing her words, Oak gave her a smile and gave an answer to her question.

"We will be using flying Pokemon, as they can usually go faster, and it'll be more fun, don't you agree?"

"Well, I've never been on the back of a flying Pokemon, or any Pokemon for that matter. What species will we be using?" She gave the man an inquisitive look, before he replied.

"We shall use a Pidgeot and a Charizard." When she heard Charizard's name, her heart lit up. Although the giant fire lizard was not her favorite Pokemon, he still ranked pretty far up on her list.

Professor Oak walked over to a desk with what Sandy assumed were Pokeballs, and grabbed two of the capsules and came back to her, giving her the one he had been holding in his left hand.

"How... How do you keep them in these tiny ah, Pokeballs, I believe the term is? I mean, it doesn't seem very humane or very... possible, for the matter." Oak raised half of his mouth before telling her that it was a complicated, advanced process that he might be able to elaborate on later, during the ride to Viridian. Without saying much more, Professor Oak, Sandy, Kasumi, and Delia all walked outside. Tracey met up with them, and immediately started to question his mentor.

"Professor, where are you going?"

"I'm going to Viridian."

"Why?"

"I need to run some errands."

"What kind of errands? And is she," the dark green haired watcher pointed at Sandy, "coming with you?"

"To answer your first question, it really doesn't matter, and to answer the second, yes, yes she is."

"Can I come?" After asking the question though, Tracey realized that he would have to stay back at the lab and take care of the Pokemon, so he waved his hand dismissively at his own words. "Never mind. May I ask when you'll be back?"

"I should be back tomorrow, or maybe even the day after. It really depends." The gray haired man shrugged his shoulders, before telling the Pokemon watcher to go back and start feeding the Pokemon, as they had never gotten around to it due to Sandy's interruption. He looked over at the blonde, who was rolling the red and white sphere in her hands, examining it.

"Do you know how to use it?" Sandy looked back at him with a look of confidence, with only a little uncertainty detectable in her eyes.

"I just press this little button here," she pointed at the button on the middle of the device, "to enlarge it, and then I just throw it to release the uh, Pokemon inside, correct?"

The aging man gave her a smile and nodded. "Yes. That is how you use the Pokeball. Now, we should release our Pokemon and start to head out.

"Uh, Professor, do I have Pidgeot or Charizard?" Oak gave her another grin before replying, "You're going to have to find that out for yourself." Taking this as permission to release the creature inside of the capsule, she pressed the button on it once, enlarging the device, and then threw it on the ground directly in front of her. Whichever Pokemon it contained began to materialize, and once it was fully visible, cried out its name.

"Pid-geot!" It cried out in pride, before looking around for Professor Oak.

"It's nice to see you, Pidgeot!" He called out to his friend, before taking his own Pokeball and tossing on the ground, making a large fire dragon appear.

"RrrrrARG!" It bellowed out fiercely. Oak looked at the two Pokemon with happiness on his face, glad to see his companions. After looking at his creatures for a few moments, he decided to explain to them why they were needed.

"I bet you two are wondering why we called you out. Well, it just so happens that me and Sandy," he pointed at the blonde standing next to him, "need a flight to Viridian. I just thought it would be nice if we could fly first class?" He winked at his Pokemon when he said this, and they seemed to chuckle at his words. Sandy smiled at the sight; it was pleasant one to see.

"So, Pidgeot, I need you to carry Sandy, while Charizard carries me." the large bird nodded its head, understanding its master's orders. The thin blonde cautiously approached the massive Pokemon, taking note that it was male. She now had a tendency to do this every time she met a new Pokemon, as it seemed to help her connect with them more, even if they weren't her own. It hadn't been as awkward as she had first assumed it would be, for all she really had to do was glance at the underbelly of the creatures and she would find out its gender, much the same way you would find out with animals back in her own world.

She boarded the Pidgeot, while Professor Oak got on the Charizard. After briefly telling her that she should stay behind him and let him lead the way, she gently tapped her heels against the Pokemon she was on, and made a clicking sound. It was much like the way she would command horses back at her home, and it seemed that it worked for the creatures here, too.

When she was finally soaring in the air behind the Pokemon Professor, she smiled at the feeling. Though it was a bit scary to be about two hundred feet off the ground with no safety gear, she really did enjoy the feeling of air rushing through her hair, and the new type of environment was breathtaking at the heights she was at.

The feeling of two Pokemon in front of her was very comforting, and helped to keep her from being scared. Before they had taken off, Delia and Kasumi had looked up at her, as if asking what to do. The Professor asked if she had Pokeballs for the two, and when she told him that she didn't, he offered to give her some. She refused though, firmly stating that they were not technically her Pokemon. So, the two ended up on the Pidgeot's back with her, the Caterpie scared out of her wits and the Pikachu seeming confident enough, though she did stay very close next to her green friend most of the time.

* * *

After flying for a few hours, Oak hung back a bit so that Sandy could catch up with him. When they were even and he could speak with her, he told her that they would begin to descend over Viridian forest shortly. He also said that they would probably circle the forest a few times before landing in a field nearby wherever Kasumi and Delia thought was close to their tree.

When the majestic bird that the blonde was sitting on began to slowly plummet downwards, she grew nervous and held onto his neck feathers tightly with her right arm, while cradling her little caterpillar in her left. She shut her eyes tight, trying not to be scared. When she first set off with the Pidgeot, she had felt confident and was quite content on the back of the bird. However, since she was not used to Pokemon airfare, and had actually lost her grip above a town between Pallet and Viridian. She had been scared to death as she plummeted to the ground, but fortunately for her, the intelligent Pidgeot knew exactly what to do and swept down and caught her on his back before she could hit the ground. The blue eyed teen was now sure to keep a tight grip on him ever since the incident.

After a few minutes, which felt like hours to Sandy, she reached the ground with the Professor just in front of her. He hopped off of his gentle Charizard, and then returned her to her Pokeball. Mimicking his actions, the thin teen took her own Pokeball and pointed it at the Pidgeot she had used, but was unsuccessful. She fumbled with it in her hands for a few seconds, before aiming the button of the device at the large bird. Instantly, he was turned into a form of energy and was sucked into the capsule. The blonde stared down at the Pokéball, baffled by the sight. It was strange, to say the least. Although she had a vague idea as to how Pokéballs worked because of the knowledge she had from back home, it was still an interesting sight to behold. When she had asked Professor Oak about the mechanics of the capsule while they were flying, he had given her a brief explanation about how Pokémon were basically converted from matter to energy, and that it was a rather complex process. This alone was way over her head, but then she asked another question concerning the capsules: how they returned to their trainers after their contents had been released. Oak had gone over the basic reasons as to how it was possible, but a lot of it was a bit too confusing for the teen.

After returning the Pokémon, Sandy looked over to the gray haired Professor before looking at Delia. She shrugged. "You guys can lead the way. You know where to go."

"De-Nnnnyaa!" Delia gave her human companion a nod, but the blonde's reaction to her 'words' slightly embarrassed the caterpillar for a second.

"What in the...? Delia, did you just say 'De?' Are you trying to say your name or something?" The blue eyed girl had a look that showed pride and happiness, but at the same time, shock. Delia tried to put one of her 'legs' behind her head, but was unsuccessful. Still, she got her point across. Sandy giggled at her, but eventually looked ahead and grew quiet again.

They walked for a while, and at one point Sandy started to recognize some of the trees and foliage from the first time she walked the route. She still was amazed by her surroundings, and was sure that it would take her some time to get used to the change in environment. While she stared absentmindedly at a rather gnarled tree, Kasumi came to an abrupt halt in front of her, causing her to step on the electric rodent.

''PIKA PI!" She cried out in shock and discomfort, before shocking the teen that had stumbled on her with a thundershock, this one nastier than the last one she had surged through the poor girl. After falling to the ground because of the voltage, Sandy slowly got up, soot slowly disappearing off of her. It was an odd scenario, for the back substance seemed to just fade away. She decided to ask the gray haired man behind her about it later.

"Heh, W-Well I guess we're here." Sandy was still slightly shaken up from the Pikachu's electric attack, and it was apparent in the small stutter she had. Professor Oak caught up with her, before asking her if she was okay. He almost had a look of amusement on his face, much to the blonde's displeasure. However, she told him she was all right, before walking towards the tree that Kasumi and Delia lived in.

"This is it. This tree is home to the portal that brought me here." She pointed at the tree, and Oak arched an eyebrow at her.

"It certainly doesn't look like much of a 'dimension-jumping portal.'"

"Well, that's because it's inside of that hollow up there." Sandy pointed up at the den where the Caterpie and Pikachu slept. The Professor looked at her, before stating, "I don't think I'll be able to get up there. Sandy realized that he had a point, and went searching for something to help them. At first she thought about sending back out the Pidgeot, but realized that that idea may not work because he might have a hard time holding both their weights. Instead, she started searching for a log that she could push under the tree, and eventually found one. With the efforts of her, the Professor, the Caterpie, and the Pikachu, they were able to prop the wood chunk up against the tree. She climbed on top of it, and motioned for the Professor to get on it too. They both stood atop it and looked into the heart of the tree.

At first, Oak looked at the girl like she was crazy. They wasn't anything strange about the hollow, it was just an average Pokémon home. After a moment or two, Sandy decided to show the Professor the strange phenomenon.

"Watch." The blonde stuck out a finger and poked the bottom right side of the den before jerking back quickly to avoid being sucked into it. Once she had touched it, the area had reacted the same way as it had before, except the area affected was much larger. Both humans watching gasped, but for different reasons.

"What the? Last time only the right side changed! Now the whole floor is a portal?" Poor Sandy looked like she could faint, and the Professor wasn't much better. The sight was already enough to shock a person, but the fact that the blonde standing next to him may have potentially come through the vortex from another world? The thought disturbed the Pokemon Professor.

For a while, they stood silent, thinking about the occurrence. The Professor was starting to tremble, thinking about what this meant.

_Shouldn't this be an exciting experience? It's not every day you see a purple dimension portal in the middle of the forest. But, for some reason I feel like this could mean trouble, though I'm not quite sure why. Is this the reason why Sandy creates such a strange feeling around her? And, if she had come from a different world or whatever is on the other end of this vortex, how does she know about Pokémon when she acts as though they don't exist in her world? _Thoughts were whizzing through Oak's mind at a million miles per hour, and Sandy wasn't much better.

_How did it _grow? _What's that supposed to mean? Should I go back home? Dang, the growth of that portal is really bothering me. Did I perhaps, make it bigger by revealing my existence to the Professor? Should I have kept my mouth shut and never said anything about this? I really have a bad feeling about this... Perhaps I should have never followed Delia here... _The blonde was pondering various things in her head, and while doing so, didn't realize the ensuing silence that had fallen over her and Oak.

"DeNya? De... De... NNnnnnnn?" Sandy shook her head vigorously before glancing back at her intelligent Caterpie who had broken the awkward quiet that had settled over everyone. The bug looked back at her with concern in her eyes. Sandy closed her eyes and decided to tell her companion about the incident, because she felt that she deserved to know.

"The portal is bigger." The Caterpie stared at her blankly. To her, that really didn't mean much, except that maybe her yellow friend may have to find somewhere new to sleep. Seeing that the caterpillar wasn't able to understand what the problem was, she looked back at the Professor before making a choice.

"I'm going back." This caused Delia to squack in terror, and the Professor to look at her with a thoughtful look.

"Have you thought about the time delay that may come with the portal?" He inquired her. She seemed confused at his words, so he explained it a little more in-depth.

"Like, the way time passes on your side of the vortex. That maybe, back at your home, a hundred or maybe even a thousand of years may have passed?" After he said those words, the blue eyes teen began to panic.

"A thousand years?! Everyone I know will be dead! Professor, I'm going back right now, but only for a few minutes. If I never come back, please make sure Kasumi and Delia are cared for." With that, she jumped directly into the hollow, without even receiving the consent of the aging man. Her green companion squealed and crawled up the tree trunk, and attempted to jump after her. However, before she could do so, Professor Oak grabbed her by her midsection and held her tightly to his chest. She continued to cry out to her human friend.

"Sa-Nnnnnnnn! Sa Nnn! Nnnn, Sa... Sannnya..." She called out to her until she grew tired. Tears began to well in her eyes, and the Professor tried to console her.

"My my, you sure are the intelligent Pokémon! From what your owner told me, she's been with you for only about five days and you're already trying to learn your own name and hers! You sure are dedicated to th-" He was instantly silenced by a projectile that had been sent flying onto his chest. He dropped Delia, and stumbled backwards off of the log. He hit the ground with a thud, before realizing that Sandy was lying on top of him, with her eyes wide.

"How long was I gone?" She practically yelled the question at him, before she started to pull herself off of him.

"I'd say maybe somewhere from half a minute to a minute." She gave him a perplexed look before blurting out her discoveries.

"I got back to my home world, and hardly anything had changed. I ran back up to my home before consulting my mother about the issue. She said I had only been gone for about half an hour."

"Didn't you say you have been here for about five days?" This information shocked the Professor. If time did go incredibly fast in his world while it went slow in hers, that meant that if she had stayed at her house for two hours it should have taken her much, much longer to actually get back their current 'dimension.'

"Yes. I have been here for about five days, right Delia?" He caterpillar had recovered from the initial shock of being abruptly dropped on the forest floor and was more than happy to answer her question with a few vigorous nods.

"Huh. That's interesting. It seems as though time almost freezes when you travel between the two er, worlds. It's an intriguing concept, really." After processing the information he knew, Oak had quickly come up with a hypothesis as to how time passes between the two 'dimensions.'

"Really? That's so cool! If that's really true, I think it would be really awesome if you could come and see my world for just a few minutes. It's much, much different than yours, and I think you'll find it to be really amazing!" She appeared to be very excited, and the Professor agreed to the offer with almost as much enthusiasm.

"Alright, fine. I'll go in first, and then you come right after, okay?" Professor Oak was actually quite eager to see the new world that she wanted him to see.

"Okay, fine by me. Kas, Delia, please stay put. We'll only be gone for a few moments." With that, Sandy signaled for Oak to go through the portal. He stuck his arms into the vortex, and then allowed for his whole upper half to be sucked in. Everything was fine, until about half way through. There was a bunch of thumping, and poor Professor Oak was caught about midway through the hollow. It was a rather terrifying experience on both ends. Sandy had to find a way for the Professor's lower half to make it through, and the aging man wasn't quite sure what was happening to him.

He couldn't feel anything, but he was conscious of the emptiness. He tried to call out to Sandy, or to anyone. However, his efforts were futile, for he couldn't even hear his own pleas. It was strange, though, he could feel the blonde back at the tree pushing on his legs, and-

"Yaaaahhhhhh!" The Professor yelped as electricity surged through him, or at least what would have been a yelp if he could've been heard. He assumed it had come from the Pikachu that had been following Sandy around. He felt weak jolts of electric energy run through his legs a few more times, before they stopped all together. Eventually, after what felt like several minutes, Oak went into a state of unconsciousness for a very, very brief second. It was so short that he couldn't even remember it, and the next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake only to meet a familiar face... or what would have been familiar.

The graying man gave an audible gasp. The first thing, or person, he saw upon waking up was Sandy. However, she didn't look quite the same. The dark, thin lines that normally separated her features was gone, and he wasn't quite sure how to describe the 'style' that had replaced what he was used to. Her eyes also seemed to have narrowed down a bit. Conscious of himself, he looked down at his body, and inhaled in shock. Beside him, he heard the blonde giggle.

"Y'know, that's almost the same reaction I had when I first saw my new appearance back at your world." Oak gave her a disturbed look, for she seemed far too comfortable with the situation. While he was half-heartedly looking at her, his gaze drifted to his surroundings.

They were breathtaking.

Though considered average and not necessarily 'breathtaking' or 'beautiful' by Sandy, they were so new and foreign to the Pokemon Professor that they sent him into a stunned silence for an extended amount of time.

The trees. They had so much detail. It was like back in his own world when people would make paintings without the regular lines, except here they had far greater details. He gazed up at the leaves and the sky. The greenery swayed gently in the summer breeze, and the space above him was a magnificent shade of blue. The clouds had eye-catching beauty, and he simply stared at them for a while, before a flock of birds flew out of the branches of the tree, distracting him.

"Holy Taurus, what were those?" He grabbed onto Sandy's arm, and she laughed at the Professor. He looked at her, flabbergasted. "What? I suppose that they're some new kind of Pokémon in your world?"

"Nah. They're black birds." The blonde shrugged her shoulders, and gave Oak an honest look.

"And... are they Pokémon?"

"I just told you. No."

"Well, if they're not Pokémon, what on earth are they?"

"Animals." Once again, Sandy shrugged her shoulders as if the response were normal. In the turmoil, she had not taken into account that the clueless foreigner didn't even have any relative idea as to what type of creatures dwelled in this dimension.

"Animals? What exactly are those...?" The blue-eyed girl sighed. She decided she would elaborate the simplest way possible.

"Well, they're creatures like Pokémon, except without any cool... powers, or anything." This statement threw the Professor off. He hadn't looked genuinely confused up until this point, for this sort of information puzzled him.

"Then what do they do? How do they survive? What do humans use them for? How in the world are they not able to channel energy into power? How are they able to-" The graying man was prevented from asking anymore questions when Sandy decided to wave her arms around wildly and interrupt him.

"Look, I know that my little world here must be fascinating to you, but we really need to get back. We've been here what? Ten minutes? We need to get back before Kasumi and Delia start to get worried."

"Delia? Why would Delia be worried? I leave Pallet all the time." Seeing the Professor's misconception, Sandy waved her arms. "Not Delia as in Ash's mom. I meant my little Caterpie we left back in the forest."

"Wait, how do yo-" Before Oak could ask any more questions, the blonde teen grabbed him by the wrist and threw herself into the side of a tree. At first the Professor panicked, but before he was able to protest, he was pulled into the tree right behind Sandy. Once again, he felt semi-conscious before abruptly awakening with a thud on the hard ground back in the Viridian Forest. He stood up quickly, while helping the blue eyed girl do the same. Immediately, he began questioning her.

"How do you know about Delia? Or more importantly, how do you know about Ash, and how he's related to her?" He could feel discomfort radiating from her. She looked perplexed, and she opened her mouth a few times, though no words came from her jaws.

"How do you know about them?" He almost seemed infuriated that this foreigner from a completely different 'dimension' seemed to know more than she should about people that she had never met before.

Sandy cleared her throat. "It's a long and difficult explanation. I will tell you on the flight back. But right now, I have something I need to attend to. Can I please have a few moments?" Without waiting for permission, she walked over to the caterpillar and mouse Pokémon that had been sitting nearby in what appeared to be a birch tree.

"Hey, you two! Can you come down here for a minute?" Instantly, the green bug scurried down the tree, while the electric rodent hopped down using the branches as platforms. They stood a few feet in front of her, curious to what she needed to tell them, although the duo assumed she would be informing them that they needed to board the Pidgeot and leave. However, her actions were odd.

She closed her eyes, and fluid began to form in them. When she opened them, her eyes were glossy and they depicted sadness. Delia gave her a concerned look, before the blonde spoke up.

"I must say Goodbye. I promised you that I only needed to keep you along to help with navigation, but I'm sure the Professor can figure something out now. I need to be going back to lab now, and I'm sure you two have wanted to get back here for days. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I can assure you that I'll never forget you." She managed a weak smile, but a tear had escaped her left eye and was slowly making its way down her cheek. She turned to leave, but was stopped by a squeal.

"Saneeeeee!" Cnnnnn, Nya Nnnn..." She felt a soft, squishy body wrap around her left ankle, and looked down only to see Delia hugging her with big, watery eyes.

"Ah, Delia, I'm sorry. But as I once said, I will never treat you as slaves, and I want you to be treated equally. Please stay here, and Kas, please take care of her." She smiled at the Pikachu, and she gave her a rare smile back. The little rodent had sat still the entire time, her chubby body not moving an inch. She turned back towards the Professor again, but Delia refused to let go of her leg. She tried to gently shake her off, but the Caterpie released a string shot and latched herself onto the teen's leg.

Sandy giggled at her actions. "Boy, you sure are persistent. If you really want to come with me you can. I would really like to have a sweetheart like you around with me when I travel around."

"Pika, Pika Pi..." Kasumi sighed. She knew this would happen. As much as she disliked leaving her home, she could not abandon her green friend. She stepped closer to the blonde, and gave the bug on her ankle a pat on the back. While doing this, she looked up and gave Sandy a firm look, as if to say, 'I'm only coming with you because I will never leave her.'

With that, Delia released her grip on Sandy's leg, and the sticky string dissolved shortly after. The girl looked over at Oak, and he gave her a curt nod, giving her permission to release the Pidgeot. However, something stopped her.

"Wait a moment. Professor, how will I get back here? Like, if I didn't have the help of Kasi and Dels?"

"I have recorded our coordinates in both my PokéNav and PokéGear. Someday I suppose I can give you one to navigate back here, if you want." Upon hearing his offer, she smiled and nodded her head at him politely. Afterward, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the Pokéball that contained the Pokémon that would carry her, the Pikachu, and the Caterpie back to Pallet Town. She threw it on the ground, and the bird materialized while crying out his name. The blonde mounted the majestic creature with Kasumi and Delia in her arms. Casting one last glance at the hollow in the tree, she tapped the sides of the bird and made a clicking noise, causing the Pidgeot to take flight. Beside her, Professor Oak was doing the same with his Charizard. He looked over at her and grinned. She did the same back to him, before she turned the flying Pokemon south, the sun setting to the west of her while she whisked through the afternoon sky.

* * *

_Author's Notes: I'm sorry about this being a week late. I know it's going to be a bit bad for anyone faithfully reading this, but I cannot update weekly. I will try my absolute best to update every other Friday from now on. Maybe, if I'm quick, you might get one every Friday._

_ANYWAYS, this was not as interesting to write as the other chapters, and I bet it probably won't be as interesting, either. I apologize for this, but I had to get through this and sort of explain some things. If it's still really confusing, or if you feel like something is difficult to understand, tell me, and I can incorporate the answer into the next chapter. I've actually already started the next chapter, and I can assure you it will be much more interesting that this one.  
_

_Also: A big shout out to **Arthur Dewalt** and **Wafer** for leaving such sweet reviews on my story! Your support means a lot to me. _

_**Word Count: **6,894 Words  
_


	4. Incident at Cerulean City

_**~Chapter 4~**_

_**~Incident at Cerulean City~**_

It had been days since the Cerulean City gym leader had a challenger. It had been months since she had been beaten. Of course, her occupation was entertaining and fun for the most part, and she enjoyed training with her lovely water Pokémon. Things were normal, but she felt like something was missing.

She was sitting by the pool's edge in her gym. She had a bathing suit on, and her toes barely touched the water. Some of the gym's Pokémon floated nearby, seemingly eager to swim with their trainer. Among them were some of the companions she had used when she was on her travels.

And that was just it. For some reason, seeing those few Pokémon, such as Psyduck and Horsea, sent a pang of unhappiness through her. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but she suddenly lost her desire to swim. She went up to her room in the gym, and changed into a yellow T-shirt and blue jean shorts. Looking down at her clothing, she felt another pang of sadness. She collapsed on her bed, and awoke her sleeping Marill in the process.

"Marill?" The little blue Pokémon wiped her eyes with her little blue paws, before feeling the melancholy atmosphere around her mother. The redhead looked down at the water mouse, and tried to force a smile.

"I'm not sure, Marill. I just feel really sorrowful right now, and to be honest, I have no idea why. I don't normally feel this way." Marill looked at her in concern, and then crawled up onto her owner's chest, before staring down into her eyes, her own filled with sympathy. At times, she was better at judging her mother's emotions than the teen was herself. "Ma-Rill? Marill?"

"Now, why would I be missing someone, Marill? Who is there to miss?" She tried to cover up the lie with a feeble laugh, but the little blue creature knew better. "Marill, Rill Marill?"

The gym leader sighed. "Maybe he has something to do with it. But you know that I've been trying my hardest not to care. It's in the past. He moves forward, never looking back. I doubt he even remembers me." She took hold of a pillow and put it over her head. The redhead then allowed herself to let a few tears escape her eyes. She had not wanted to cry in front of her adopted child, but she was in a mood in which she really couldn't help herself, so the best she could do was hide her weakness.

She lay like this for quite some time, for so long that sleep almost overtook her.

Almost.

Just as she was about to slip into unconsciousness, she heard the business phone ring in on her desk. She groaned, removed the pillow from her face, and sluggishly hopped off of her bed and over to the phone. She picked it up and put it up to her ear. The secretary of the facility was speaking on the other end of the call.

"Ms. Waterflower?"

"Yes?"

"There is a girl down here who wishes to challenge you for the Cascade Badge." Seeing a prime opportunity to finally battle for the first time in a while, she told the secretary that she would be down in a few moments.

She knew she had to put on her signature outfit, which, at the time, was a red tank top with a yellow over shirt and shorts. However, while looking in her closet for the apparel, something stopped her.

At the far right side of the closet, she noticed an outfit that she hadn't worn in years. It was composed of a simple yellow tank top and denim booty shorts. She had ignored the apparel partially because she had outgrown it, and also because she had attempted to forget about it, and the memories that it brought. Though they were good recollections filled with happiness, she felt that same, sad pang that she had felt earlier at the pool when she looked at the clothing. Trying to shake the feeling, she took out her regular attire, and quickly dressed. She put her shoulder length hair up in a side ponytail on the left side of her head before heading down the stairs, through a hallway, and into the gym.

When she got there, she was met by a girl a few inches shorter than she. She looked just like a normal trainer, but the area around her felt...

Different.

The gym leader gave her a shocked look, which was returned to her by eyes full of confusion. Trying to make things less awkward for herself and the girl, she smiled at her.

"H-hi there. I'm Misty Waterflower, the gym leader here. I heard you wanted to challenge me?"

"Yes, pleasure to meet you in person, Ms., uh, Waterflower. I'm Sandy Desertblossom, and I have come here to earn the Cascade Badge from you. Hopefully I will succeed. However, from what I've heard, you are a very powerful trainer." She smiled at the redhead, and she returned the smile, before thanking her for her compliment on her skills.

_She seems friendly enough... am I being rude or paranoid to think she's different?_ Nevertheless, the redhead led the girl to gym area, while having small talk with her.

"So, where are you from?"

"Pallet Town."

"That's interesting. I haven't had very many challengers from Pallet lately..." She trailed off, her eyes looking distant.

"Are you okay?" Sandy, though technically meeting the other teen for the first time, instinctively felt concern for her.

"Ah, yes. I'm just trying to forget something, or rather someone. That's all." After the words left her mouth, the gym leader immediately regretted saying them. The blonde next to her had a stunned look on her face, but didn't interrogate her any further.

"I see. Well, I wish you good luck with that... but sometimes forgetting about people is perhaps not the best option when it comes to emotional problems." She had a solemn look on her face, and the redhead tried to weakly smile at her.

"Well, uh, thanks. Any who, we've reached the battle field now. I'll go over to that side," she pointed over to the right side of the field, "and you can head over to the other side." The blonde nodded her head, and then walked over to the side of the battlefield in which she had been assigned. She looked down into the blue depths of the water and sighed. None of her Pokémon had the ability to swim, and if any of them fell in the water, they would have difficulty winning the match.

"This is an official league match! It will be a 3 on 3 battle, no time limits. Do I make myself clear?" The redhead teen called out to the blonde.

"Understood!" Sandy stood proudly on her side of the field, with her head held high and determination clearly visible in her eyes.

"Okay, I'll choose first. Go, Staryu!" The starfish shaped creature appeared on the platform closest to the leader, and cried out its name proudly.

"Hyah!"

On the other end, the blonde challenger gripped her Pokéball tightly. This would be the first actual match she would have since the start of her journey, and she knew she had to use strategy to win, for her three Pokémon weren't very powerful yet.

"Go, Annabell!" She threw her capsule on the rostrum directly in front of her, and out popped a Bulbasaur.

"Bulba Bulbasaur!" The little grass dinosaur tried to call out her name confidently, but she was obviously nervous. On the other end of the pool, the redhead groaned.

_Even though she looks like an older trainer, she still acts like all the others. They all assume they can come in here with a Bulbasaur or Pikachu or other Pokémon with an advantage over water. I'll show her just how wrong she is._ Misty decided to let her adversary take the first move, and she took no time in doing so.

"Annabell, use vine whip and try to wrap that Staryu up!" Hearing her master's orders, she quickly shot two vines out from under the bulb on her back, attempting to grasp the evasive starfish around its limbs. However, just before she could grab the Staryu, it quickly hopped out of the way and into the water, without even receiving an order from its master.

"Hmm, I see. Annabell, start charging solarbeam while it's underwater!" Though her strategy would have been a good one, Sandy's little plant Pokémon stared back at her helplessly. She may have trained a bit with her owner, but she certainly wasn't able to use a powerful move like solarbeam yet.

The gym leader looked relieved after the exchange between her opponent and her Pokémon. For a second, she was almost worried.

"Alright then! Staryu, jump out of the water and use aqua charge!" She ordered her companion to perform a move that Sandy was hopelessly unfamiliar with. She had never heard of it before, and it was obvious in the tone of her voice.

"Excuse me?" For a moment she looked bewildered, but then recuperated and realized that she should probably order her own Pokémon to do something. "Annabell, use your vines to make a barrier around your body, and then get ready to brace yourself!"

Her Bulbasaur followed her commands in the nick of time, for right as she entwined her vines to make a protective wall, the Staryu exploded out of the water and into the air. Once airborne, the starfish began spinning, while blue water energy began to form around its body. The star shaped Pokémon collided with the seed Pokémon at top speed. The water that had surrounded the Staryu was of course, not very effective, but it did add to the damage done to Sandy's Bulbasaur. Some of the liquid had made its way past her vine boundary, and this has caused her defenses to falter, allowing the starfish Pokémon to hit her head-on. The little dinosaur was thrown off of the platform she had been standing on, and landed in the water. Though she was able to swim enough to stay afloat, the energy she used trying to do so caused her to faint. Seeing the danger Sandy's Pokémon was in, the redheaded gym leader ordered for her own Pokémon to help the little dinosaur out of the pool. Once on land, the blonde took hold of her companion and held her in her left arm instead of returning her. She quietly congratulated the seed Pokémon for trying so hard on her first official match.

Her actions baffled the redheaded leader; normally trainers returned their Pokémon after they fell into unconsciousness. There were very, very few trainers she had battled in the gym that kept their companions out of their Pokéballs. It hadn't necessarily been the fact that she had not returned her Pokémon at the end of the match, but that she had originally started out with the Bulbasaur in a Pokéball. Brushing the incident aside, she simply assumed that this trainer and her Bulbasaur had a good relationship.

Smiling one last time at her turquoise dinosaur, she reached down to her belt and grabbed the middle capsule. Grinning at it, she enlarged it, spun it in her hand, and tossed it out onto the field.

"Delia, come out!" With that, the capsule popped open, revealing a Caterpie. Cringing at sight of the bug, the Cerulean leader decided to return her Staryu and give it a rest. Seeing that her opponent may be fairly easy to beat, she saw a prime opportunity to train one of her Pokémon that was finally beginning to come around for her. She kissed his Pokéball, and then hurled one of her long-time friends out onto the field.

"Come on out, Psyduck!" Being freed intentionally, which was at one time rare for the little yellow duck, made him cry out his name in glee.

"Psyduck, Psy!" He glared at the Caterpie across the pool with confidence in his eyes.

_I see that she was able to put some sense into that Psyduck of hers; it seems so much more competent than it used to be._ Sandy looked at the duck Pokémon and smiled. At least the azure eyed teen had tried to level the playing field for her. Taking initiative for the first time again, she ordered her little green bug to attack.

"Dels, use string shot!" The little caterpillar Pokémon nodded her head before sending sticky string across the battlefield.

"Psyduck, counter it with water gun!" Actually able to comprehend her words, the duck let a stream of water out of his beak, and the force of the attack caused the Caterpie's attack to be thrown aside into the water. Frustrated, she shot out another stream of white string while the Psyduck tried to recover, without even waiting for her master's command. Immediately, Sandy saw error in her Pokémon's plan.

"Delia! You can't hit it in the-" she looked on with worry in her large blue eyes, only to see that her Caterpie's move had hit the duck Pokémon on the skull, "-head..." She could only watch in horror as her caterpillar began to drag the Psyduck across the platform and into the water. Unfortunately for her, the duck smacked his head against the rostrum whilst being pulled into the water. This only added to the headache Sandy was sure was beginning to form in his head.

All the while, the azure-eyed leader looked on calmly. When the attack had first been fired at her companion, she was slightly worried, but seeing where it hit had made self-assurance well up inside her. She almost snickered when Psyduck hit his head on the fall down; it was sure to give the yellow Pokémon a severe headache.

And it did.

All at once, the Psyduck rose up out of the water, surrounded in a blue aura. The ambience spread down the string, and engulfed the Caterpie. She squealed, trying to get out of the powerful force, but was unsuccessful.

"Delia, no!" Sandy could only watch as the duck threw her companion into the water.

"Psyduck, hydro pump!" The redhead saw the blue-eyed teen on the other end of the pool visibly slump her shoulders when she head the command. The poor blonde could only watch the Psyduck blast her little green bug out of the water and onto the strip of cement on the side of the pool. The force of the impact completely knocked the poor little caterpillar out, and she ran over to check on her.

"Aww, Dels... you did such a good job out there. It's not your fault that that silly Psyduck gets really bad headaches!" Delia giggled at her, for she had regained conscious only mere seconds after leaving it. Gently grabbing her by the midsection, Sandy lifted her into her left arm where her Bulbasaur had previously been.

Still on her platform on the right side of the gym, the leader stood watching intently. Once again, Sandy's actions baffled her. Her eyes followed the teen as she walked back to her platform, where she set her Caterpie down next to her Bulbasaur, who had regained consciousness as well. She seemed to say something to them, before standing back up and facing the battlefield again.

"Please listen to me this time..." She had put the device close to her lips and had whispered to whatever creature was inside of it. Once she was done talking to it, she spun it in her hand again before hurling it out onto one of the nearby platforms. When her Pokémon materialized, a pang went through the gym leader again.

_Just like he used to have..._ The azure-eyed leader looked out at the Pokémon that stood before her Psyduck. It appeared to be very stubborn, and looked back at her trainer when she tried to give a command. Sparks crackled from her cheeks a few times before she shook her head with an attitude. She just so happened to be one of the few Pokémon she missed having around the most...

A Pikachu.

Knowing that Sandy now had the type advantage, the redhead took the first move. By now, Psyduck had recovered from his severe headache, which meant that he would not have his supernatural powers anymore. "Psyduck, bubblebeam!"

Immediately, a stream of bubbles was emitted from the duck's mouth, heading straight for the cantankerous Pikachu. Sandy was quick to react, telling her little electric rodent to counter the attack with a thundershock. Unfortunately for her, the Pikachu didn't show any signs of obedience. She stood directly in the path of the attack, with her forelegs crossed and her nose stuck up in the air. The bubblebeam hit her dead on, and she was knocked backwards into the water. She swam back to the surface to avoid drowning, and crawled back up onto one of the rostrums. She sat down on her rump, with her nose still stuck in the air. Sandy looked flat out embarrassed, and her opponent was trying to suppress a laugh. It was entertaining to watch the way the little yellow mouse acted out on the field.

"C'mon Kas, get up and do something!" The Pikachu, who had closed her eyes every time she ignored her trainer, opened one and looked at Sandy. She smirked at the flustered blonde, before actually obeying and sending a single bolt of electricity into the air. It came nowhere close to the yellow duck on the opposite platform, and eventually, Sandy gave up trying.

"Well, I guess it doesn't look like my little Kasumi here has any intent on battling. I guess you win the match." After she forfeited, the stubborn little mouse hopped over to where Sandy's other two Pokémon were resting. She snickered up at her so-called 'master' and then began to converse with the other Pokémon.

The gym leader on the other side of the field wordlessly returned her Psyduck, before walking around the edge of the pool to shake hands with Sandy. She stared into the water to the right now her and sighed. She was so similar to him... the person that occupied so many of her thoughts.

"That was a great match. You did very well, and had some very good strategies out on the field."

"Thanks... But my Pikachu won't obey me."

"You know, I once knew someone with a very, very stubborn Pikachu. Although the going was rough for him and his Pokémon at first, they eventually saw eye-to-eye and grew a bond that I'm sure to this day is still very, very strong." Sandy looked at her, trying to manage a smile. She knew all too well who she was talking about, but she still struggled to maintain a happy demeanour, mainly from the loss, and the gym leader's solemn tone.

"...And he turned out to be one of the greatest trainers I have ever known."

The redhead whispered the last words, and Sandy was almost certain that she had seen regret and sorrow flash in her eyes for a very brief second. "Well, it certainly is nice of you to say that to me, Ms. Waterflower. It means the world to me."

In complete contrast to her mood just a few seconds ago, the Cerulean leader perked up and used a happier tone. "Ah, it's no problem. And you can call me Misty."

"Hmm. Well, perhaps one day I can come back and challenge you for the Cascade Badge when my Pikachu gains my trust and my other Pokémon are stronger." She smiled down at the Bulbasaur and Caterpie, who had fallen asleep on the cement floor at the edge of the pool.

"That sounds great."

"Well... I better be off now." The blonde picked up all three of her Pokémon and began to head for the hallway that would lead out of the gym. However, a voice calling out stopped her.

"Wait... May I ask where you're staying at tonight?

"I was planning on staying at the nearest Pokémon Center, which is what I normally do." She turned around to look at Misty, who was beaming at her.

"We have a few extra guest rooms here in the gym, if you'd like to stay in one of them."

"Misty, you really don't have to-"

"No, no, it's fine. I don't normally get very many challengers my age that can relate to me. Most trainers that come in here are ten year olds, and they normally don't plan on sticking around for very long."

Seeing how excited the redhead looked, Sandy decided to mess with her. "What if I'm not planning on staying here, though? What if I want to go and get my badge from the next town?"

Upon hearing her words, Misty's face fell. She was looking forward to getting to know this girl. She seemed so sweet and polite, and appeared to have a true love for her Pokémon. Misty also felt drawn to her, and wanted to know more about her and perhaps why she had a strange aura. She also appeared to be the kind of person to have good philosophies and advice about life, judging by her earlier consent.

"I kid, I kid. I would love to stay here for the night. It seems like it would probably have higher quality rooms, and maybe even friendlier service." She grinned at the gym leader, and she smiled back.

"That's great! I can show you one of the rooms I can let you stay in right now, if you want."

"Ah, I would, but I need to get Kas, Dels, and Bell here to the PokéCenter to heal up."

"Maybe I should come too, Staryu looked pretty tired after the battle with your Bulbasaur, and Psyduck's head is probably throbbing from his headache." Both teens chuckled at her comment about Misty's Pokémon. They started to walk down the hallway leading to the exit, talking all the while.

Sandy was proud of herself. She was normally very socially awkward when it came to person-to-person situations like this. But, Misty was a very nice girl, just as she had speculated she would be. They talked a bit about the blonde's Pokémon, and how long she had had them. According to Sandy, she had only had them for about a month. She had also stated that she had only been a trainer for that amount of time, as well. This came as a shock to the Cerulean gym leader, for most new trainers weren't able to think of the type of strategies that Sandy had used out on the field.

"That one move of yours... Aqua charge, I believe you called it, was like, super epic and amazing! I don't think I can recall ever seeing anything like it before."

"Thanks, I actually got the idea from both flame charge and wild charge, which I'm assuming you've heard of. I thought that since there were charging attacks for those types, why couldn't there be one for my water types?"

"Maybe someday I'll have to teach one of my Pokémon here how to use a, a... a leaf charge! That's what I'll call it." The blue-eyed teen looked down at the Bulbasaur in her arms and winked.

"You know, that Bulbasaur of yours is pretty tough. I'm assuming she was your starter?"

"Yes, and we've been training pretty hard ever since we met. Isn't that right, Annabell?" Still looking down at the turquoise dinosaur in her arms, Sandy gave the Bulbasaur a warm smile. The Pokémon returned the affection, though much more strained.

After a while, both trainers reached the PokéCenter, where they left their Pokémon to rest. Delia, who had always been reluctant to leave Sandy, squirmed in Nurse Joy's grip for a while before her trainer was able to soothe her and tell her that she would well cared for with the pink-haired nurse. After leaving their companions at the Center, Misty and Sandy left to go get a bite to eat.

"So… What do you prefer to eat?"

"I really like a nice steak, but Torchic wings are okay, too." Sandy had to be cautious with her words now, for she couldn't simply use terms like 'chicken wings' or 'pork chops.' During her talks with Professor Oak, she had discovered that some of the main sources of meat in the Pokémon World were Taurus, Grumpig, Torchic, Crawdaunt, Goldeen, and Flaaffy. However, the blonde had also learned that a selection of the specimens was bred to have less intelligence, therefore unaware of what their fate would someday be.

"Ah. I know a pretty good restaurant near the gym that sells pretty high quality food. If you're low on cash, I can pay for your meal." Though Misty's proposal was kind, Sandy politely declined.

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I probably have enough cash to pay for it myself." The blonde smiled at the redhead, and they continued walking down the street leading to the restaurant, which Sandy later found out was named "Marty's Steakhouse." The two went inside, and were given a secluded booth near the end of the restaurant, due to Misty's high status as gym leader.

For a while, they talked about Pokémon, Pokémon battles, strategies, and various other subjects concerning Pokémon. Sandy was always cautious with what she said, and never said anything that sounded too suspicious or out of place. Their food came fairly quickly, as Misty ordered a small Taurus sirloin and Sandy decided to go with some baby-back ribs. Though the taste of meat here was a bit different than it was back at her own world, it had enough similarities to it to make it acceptable for her.

They didn't talk a whole lot about anything except Pokémon throughout the entire dinner. Much to Misty's pleasure, she found out that Sandy did like water Pokémon, though she did not specialize in the type. She hoped to one day get a Squirtle for her team, although she knew they were normally rare in the wild.

"You know, they might not be rogues anymore, but I know that there's a group of Squirtle in Vermillion City called the 'Squirtle Squad.' They help fight fires, and I bet if you asked one of them nice enough, I bet they'd join you!"

"Ha, thanks for the advice. But, I tend to let Pokémon choose to come with me, instead of forcing them."

"Is that so? How do you plan on getting any more Pokémon?"

"Meh. When I was traveling here, I helped a Voltorb out of a, uh, bad situation. I offered to let it join my team, but apparently it had a family so it stayed behind with them. I'm assuming I'll probably have a team of orphan Pokémon that just need a chance, I guess." She smiled genuinely, for it was what she planned on doing. From what she'd seen, plenty of Pokémon were often in need to assistance, or simply someone to love.

"You know, I couldn't help but notice during our battle... Your, Annabell, I believe you called her, had what appeared to be a few feathers and a flower tied to her left ear? I also think that Caterpie had a scarf around her neck. Is there any significance to those accessories?" Misty tilted her head slightly to the left, inquiring the blonde sitting across from her.

"Well... see, when I first started off, I had that scarf in my bag. Little Delia, the Caterpie, got into my stuff one day and managed to get it around her neck. I thought it was absolutely adorable, and apparently Annabell thought so, too. She found one of my bracelets and tried to put it on her ear, and with my aid she was able to do so. We decided to make it a tradition for every Pokémon that joins me from now on. We call it the 'Symbol of Trust,' and if more Pokémon decide to join us, they can wear them if they feel as though they can trust me." Sandy finished with a smile, for she and her companions had thought of the idea all by themselves.

"Huh. I guess that explains why that Pikachu of yours, Kasumi, I believe you called her? Didn't have one of those little adornments?"

"Yea. She really dislikes me, yet I'm not quite sure why. She claims that she is only following me because Delia follows me, but I like to think that deep down inside, she actually likes me." The blue eyed teen gave a weak smile, for she was not sure if her electric rodent would ever accept her. They continued talking about their companions and the adventures they had had with them. Eventually they finished their meals and paid the bill. Due to her origins, Sandy had received money through Professor Oak, for he was paid a fairly large salary and found that he had more than enough money to share with her.

Misty, on the other hand, had plenty of money because of her occupation. Shortly after she had reclaimed her title of gym leader, the Pokémon League had started a new financial plan to help the gym leaders with repairs. Before then, they were required to pay for damages with their own salaries, but a law was passed that had the League pay for repairs, while still paying the gym leaders their regular wages.

They left the restaurant, and walked back to the Cerulean Gym. Sandy gazed up at the giant Dewgong painting and marveled at it; she never dreamed that she would one day see it in person. Both girls walked toward the sliding glass doors of the gym, and all was fine until they walked down the corridor leading into the main pool arena. They rounded a corner, and Sandy saw a woman with striking, bright pink hair. Upon seeing the two trainers, she let out an ear-splitting shriek.

"MISTY! Like, where have you been?" She had an accent that would probably drive Sandy nuts over a prolonged period of time.

"I've been out with her, and it shouldn't really concern you. I AM sixteen now, and I am certain that I can take care of myself."

"Wait, what's she like, doing here at this time of night though? And who like, is she, anyways?"

"She's a friend of mine I made very recently. Her name is Sandy, and I've offered her one of the guest bedrooms." For a second or two, the pink haired woman stood with her mouth agape, all while looking at Misty as though she were the most insane person she had ever met. Eventually, she pulled Misty aside, and away from Sandy, claiming that she had to talk to her about something _very_ important.

"What do you want?" The redhead spat. She was sick of being bossed around by her sisters and being constantly told what to do, even though she had grown closer to them over the years.

"Why have you let some random girl into our home? She could be like, a serial killer or something! Why would you like, put us in danger?" The pink-haired woman gave a fake sob.

"Okay, Lily. First off, do not question my motives on this, for they are good ones. And second, I spent the entire afternoon with her, and she is probably one of the nicest people I've met."

"You like, mean to tell me that you just met this girl today, and you're already inviting her into our home? Misty, have you completely lost it?"

"No. I just... can you please leave me alone? I have my reasons for it, and they don't concern you!" Before Lily could reply, Misty stomped off back to Sandy.

"Is eh, everything okay?" Sandy had a look of solicitude on her face, and Misty was grateful that she actually cared about her problems.

"Yeah, it's alright. That girl was my sister; her name is Lily. She just thinks that she can control most of my actions, but I've been trying to keep her from doing it lately."

"I suppose that's a good thing. Back home," for a moment, the blonde trailed off, as if unsure of what to say, or maybe contemplating whether she should say anything at all, "I didn't have any older siblings, just a younger one. I could be bossy at times, but never overbearing."

"Well, that's good of you. I was practically raised by them, and during my childhood they were never very nice to me. Nowadays, they tend to be a bit kinder, but they still continue to tease me about various things." Misty was able to manage a weak smile while saying this.

After showing allowing Sandy to drop off her bag in the room she would be staying in, Misty asked her if she would like to swim since it was only 9:00. The blonde had anticipated something like this, and was finally glad to use her bathing suit for the first time in the Pokémon world. She went into the gym's locker room and changed into her swim wear, which consisted of a black halter top with the occasional white gemstone on it. The bottom was a zebra stripe bikini bottom, with an orange-pink gradient base with black stripes.

She left the locker room after showering, and went down into the pool area. Misty was already by the water's edge. She was wearing a blue bikini. In all reality, she was much prettier altogether than she had been three years ago, or seven years ago to Sandy. While thinking about this, another weird realization came to her. Though it shocked her for a moment, she brushed it aside and decided to ask Professor Oak about it later. For the time being, she cast a glance at the redhead before canon-balling into the deeper part of the pool. Immediately, some of the Pokémon that resided at the gym swam up to the surface to greet her. Some were suspicious of her and sniffed her out for a moment, but they all eventually gave her warm smiles that showed their acceptance of her. Misty had also jumped in, and many of her companions swam up to her, too. She had brought her Marill, and the little blue mouse was gallantly swimming in the water along with her mother. For a while, both teens swam and splashed around with the Pokémon, but Sandy decided that she wanted some excitement. With the permission of the Cerulean leader, she hopped out of the pool and walked over to where the water was deepest. Looking up, she smiled with determination. Above her loomed a very large diving board that had to have been at least twenty-five feet tall.

Sandy began to scale the ladder, and with every step she became more and more confident. Because of her hastiness during the climb, the blonde was nearly out of breath by the time she reached the diving platform. She stopped to recover from the slight fatigue, and once she felt fully recuperated, she walked to the edge of the rostrum and peered over. Down below Misty and her Pokémon appeared to be the size of ants. The redhead smiled and waved, and shouted a few words of encouragement to the blonde towering twenty-five feet above her.

"Good luck!" Some of the Pokémon near her caught on and also tried to cry out with reassurance.

"Dewgong-Gong!"

"Heyah!"

"Rill Rill, Marill!"

Hearing their cries made Sandy feel proud, and she grinned one last time before jumping off of the diving board. She began to lurch forward in a flip, and once was out of it, decided to go for a second one. However, she didn't see the error in her plan.

"SANDY! STOP! You can't fl-" Misty cried out to the blonde, but her warnings came too late. Sandy plummeted into the water at a high speed, right on her belly. However, it hadn't been a direct hit to the stomach. Instead, she was at the slightest angle in which her front half was just a little more elevated than her lower half. The second she hit the water, her motor functions were rendered useless.

While submerged under the water, the blue-eyed teen found that the breath had been completely knocked out of her. The area below her sternum felt like a knife had been stabbed through it multiple times. She tried to cry out, but only faint whimpers were audible. She was floating downward, and was unable to use her arms to swim back to the surface. Misty watched in horror, before commanding the Pokémon nearest to Sandy to swim down and save her. It just so happened to be her faithful Starmie, and the Mysterious Pokémon swam down to where the blonde was floating. Diving down below her, the purple starfish lifted the half conscious teen onto her top 'point' and propelled back up to the edge of the pool. The Pokémon jumped up on of the water and gently laid Sandy down on the concrete. With the last bit of strength the suffering teen had, she threw up on the cement before finally slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Cfghjlljgdstuhvf..."

"Is she waking up?"

"I think she is."

Sandy was finally beginning to come to. The last event she was able to remember was jumping off the diving board. She felt a slight pain in her upper abdomen, and instinctively touched it with her hand. Looking to her right, she saw a brunette woman she was not familiar with, and upon looking to her left, she saw the redheaded Cerulean gym leader. She was what appeared to be a hospital bed, and her left arm had a tube protruding from it.

"Wha-What's going on?" Sandy directed the question towards Misty, and she immediately answered her question.

"When you were doing that flip off the diving board, you landed wrong on your stomach. You nearly passed out in the water, and I had to have Starmie fish you out. Once you got out of the water, you hurled on the ground and then passed out. In your hurl." Misty made a disgusted face at her last words, and Sandy looked like she just may hurl. Again.

"That's... nice. But why am I here, hooked up to this IV, I believe it is?"

"Well. I brought you to the nearest medical center, which luckily wasn't too far from the gym. They had to make sure you hadn't swallowed too much water, and then they gave you fluids to replace the hydration you lost through the uh, incident." Sandy gave a half frown, and then the serious part of her spoke.

"This is wonderful and all, but how am I going to pay for the medical expenses? I have money, but I certainly don't think it will be enough to cover how much this costs." At her words, the woman chimed in.

"That will not be a problem. Though it will cost you a fair amount, it probably won't be as much as you speculate it will be. Accidents that happen at the gym are covered by the League, though you will have to pay for the IV, I'm afraid." The brunette smiled down at the blonde teen. She was unable to return the joy, though.

"Uh, don't they only cover calamities that occur during official League matches?" Sandy seemed skeptical; it just seemed too good to be true.

"No. Any type of accident that happens in the gym area is covered. Now, if this incident had happened in one of the extra, littler pools, or one of the Waterflowers' rooms, then you would have to pay up. But, fortunately for you, it didn't." She offered another smile to the blonde, and this time she returned it.

"In that case, thank you. How much do I owe you for the IV?"

"Meh, 5,000 PokéDollars oughta do it." At this, the blue eyed teen shrugged her shoulders, it really wasn't that expensive, considering she had expected much more. She had learned by now the way currency worked here. Basically, the price of items here was just the amount of it was back at her home, but the decimal was moved to the right two spaces. So, in all reality, the price of the medication was only 50 dollars when converter to U.S. Currency.

"Well, that's lovely. May I ask when I can leave? And what time is it now?" Sandy felt pretty refreshed, though her gut still hurt really bad.

"It is around noon right now, and you will be able to leave at around 3:00 PM. At the time being, we will actually ask that you answer a few questions and take a few tests. Is this okay with you?"

"Uh, yeah. I suppose that will be okay." With that, Sandy began to crawl up off the bed. Her stomach pain was not as bad as she originally thought it was, for she was able to get off the bed with ease. She stood up, though the IV was still attached to her arm.

"Ah... Maybe I should pay more attention. Can you please sit back down for a moment? You no longer need fluids, but I should probably disconnect that tube from your arm." The blonde complied with her words, and gentle placed herself back down on the bed. The nurse took the medical equipment out of here arm, and then bandaged her up.

"All right. Now you are free to get up and follow me to the next room." The blonde stood up, and at once began to stretch. However, she squeaked in pain when she felt a sharp ache shoot through her upper belly. She doubled over for a second, but then slowly stood up.

"I-I'm okay. Maybe I shouldn't stretch at the time being..." Sandy gave a look of agony to the nurse, before following her out of the room. She was led into another room, and Misty was about to follow her before a tall, male doctor cut her off.

"I'm afraid you can't go in there."

"O-Okay, sorry." His appearance was daunting, and his voice was completely opposite to how the brunette nurse's had been. It wasn't very friendly, and he didn't seem like a doctor that Misty would want checking up on her health. He entered the room Sandy had gone into, and closed the door behind him, cutting the redhead off.

"Ms. Desertblossom?"

"Yes?"

"How are you feeling this afternoon?" He forced himself to grin at her, but Sandy could see right through it.

"Oh, I'm fine. My upper abdomen is still a bit sore on the inside, but otherwise, I feel alright.

"That's lovely."

For the rest of the checkup, the man remained silent, except for when he'd give Sandy an order. He wasn't very friendly, and the poor blonde was disappointed. The tests he performed on her went well, and eventually he ripped a piece of paper off of his clipboard and handed it to her.

"You are free to go; hand that to the secretary at the front desk."

"Yes, sir."

Sandy took the white slip of paper and walked out of the room. She met back up with her redhead friend out in the corridor, and they both walked out to the where the front desk was stationed.

"I was informed that I should give this to you."

"Ah, yes. Glad to see you're feeling better today, Ms. Desertblossom."

"Thank you."

The secretary typed away at her computer for a few moments before turning her attention back to the blue-eyed blonde.

"Hm. You are free to go, once I either get a signature or video call from one of your legal guardians." At these words, Sandy's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She had absolutely no clue who she could call to give her that signature. Her parents lived back in another dimension, along with the rest of her family, and no one else knew about her true origins, except...

"I see. Do you have any ah, private phones I can use?" The blonde immediately regained her composure, and politely asked the question.

"Yeah, there are some in that little area over there." The secretary motioned toward a wall where there were three doors. Sandy gave her a nod before turning towards the entryways, and decided on the middle one. Misty stopped outside and sat down on one of the chairs that were nearby.

The inside of the room was plain; the walls were white and the only furniture in the room was a single chair, though it did look comfortable. There was a wooden platform built into the backside of the room. The floor was made of generic black carpet. The area itself was rather small, only big enough to fit the chair, desk, and the floor space needed to open the door.

The blonde walked back to the equipment, and studied it. She took note that it was one of the newer models, but had the blocky design of an older one. She had learned about this from Professor Oak earlier on. He said that the older design was for a more nostalgic, natural feel, and she didn't feel any obligation to argue or ask questions at the time, because quite frankly, she liked older designs better anyway.

She picked up the receiver and dialed the Pokémon Professor's number. He picked up after several rings, and appeared very happy to see her.

"Oh, hi Sandy! It's so nice to see y-" his cheery attitude was suddenly replaced by a serious one, "-Are you okay? You look a little pale... Are you sick?" He seemed very concerned about her, and she immediately cut to the chase.

"Professor, last night I had an accident at the Cerulean gym. I ended up here in the hospital." The Professor was shocked, and it was clearly shown on his face.

"Uh, how? What in the world happened? Are you alright now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I jumped off the high dive, and landed wrong. The wind was knocked out of me, and I began to drift from consciousness, but then Misty's Starmie came and saved me. She says I threw up on the edge of the pool, and then she brought me here to the medical center. They gave me fluids and said I'd be fine, but at the front desk, I ran into a problem."

"Oh? And what would that be?" He tried to hide it, but Sandy could see that he already knew the answer to his question.

"Well... They sorta kinda need a signature or other proof of guardian thingy-ma-jigger or something like that. I was hoping you had some sort of solution. We never really talked about what my history should be here, remember?"

The Professor heaved sigh, and said the first idea that came to mind. "Arg... I guess I'll have to sign for you. How about from now on, you contact me when things similar to this happen, all right? I know it may be a bit rash, but I can't think of anything else we can do, at least not at the moment."

"That's great. I'll go tell the receptionist, and we'll call you again shortly." At this, Oak gave a quick nod before hanging up. The screen on Sandy's end went black, and she slowly exhaled through her mouth. She gradually stood up, walked away from the desk, through the doorway, and finally into the lobby.

"I reached my current guardian. Would you like to speak with him?" The secretary gave her an odd look before pointing to the video-phone on the counter. It was one of the models that had the swivel feature, so that you can quickly turn the screen from one person to another. This one also didn't have a receiver, just speakers. Thus, the blonde knew that anyone around her would be able to listen in on her conversation.

Sandy dialed her now legal guardian. He picked up quicker than he had the first time.

"Ah, hello Sandy. It's nice to see you again so soon. May I speak to the secretary?" The women at the desk looked startled when she heard the voice on the other end, but nevertheless turned the monitor towards herself.

"Oh! Professor Oak, you're her guardian? In that case, just confirm that information and say she's free to go. I'm assuming you're aware of what happened to Sandy last night?"

"Yes, she told me about that just a few moments ago. Anyways, I confirm that I am her legal guardian and give her permission to leave, as long as she's well May I ask, though, how much is the medical bill?" This was the question the poor, aging Professor was not eager about asking. He was sure it would be expensive.

"Oh, the League covers most of bill, but you'll still have to pay for the IV fluids, which will be 5,000 PokéDollars." This answer normally would have left the Professor or any other sane person content, but there was a catch for him: He was involved with the League, and in a sense, he would still be indirectly paying for the expense.

"Okay. I'll make sure that gets paid back; just fax me the bill and I can send you the money. With that, the two adults politely thanked each other, and the secretary finally hung up.

"All right!" It's almost 2:00 now, which is an hour before you're allowed to leave, but I'll let it slip, as long as you promise not to do anything too vigorous in the next 24 hours."

"I won't." With this, Sandy grinned at her, before turning to the sliding doors leading back outside. Misty followed behind her. They walked in silence all the way to the PokéCenter, where they walked inside to collect their Pokémon. All three of Sandy's companions were on the counter, waiting for her eagerly, with the exception of her Pikachu, who sat pouting. Her Bulbasaur and Caterpie jumped off of Nurse Joy's desk, joyously running over to greet their human friend. Misty made less of a scene, and received her two Pokémon quietly from the pink-haired nurse at the desk. The girls thanked the nurse, before taking their Pokémon and leaving.

* * *

Sandy lazily dangled her feet over the side of the pool. She was almost reluctant to get in the water, because of her accident the previous day. Her stomach still ached, but she had still agreed to go for a swim with Misty again. Her Pokémon had sensed that she was hurting, and had been trying to comfort her all evening.

Well, Delia and Annabell were, at least.

"Bulba, Bulba, Saur?"

"Cna, Cnnnnnnya?"

The Bulbasaur and Caterpie had both looked up at their master with concern. She smiled down at them, and told them that she would be all right. Even though they had been back at the gym for a few hours, she still hadn't told them what had happened to her.

"YAAAHHHHH!"

"PSY YI YI YI YI!" Two screams coming from the other side of the pool jolted Sandy from her talk with her companions. She looked up to quite a sight; Misty's hair was fringed, and Psyduck looked mortifed. Looking around, Sandy saw a giggling yellow figure on the concrete walkway by the pool.

"KASUMI! How_ dare _you zap Misty and Psyduck? How dumb can you get?" The electric rodent cast her 'master' a glare, before sticking out her tongue and pulling the skin below her eye down in a mocking manor.

"PikaPika, Pika Chu! Pika Pika Pi!" The mouse said with a sing-song voice, which only added to the blonde's agitation.

"Why I oughta... N-Nevermind. J-Just get in your Pokéball and leave us alone..." With that, the exhausted blonde took the Pikachu's capsule from the wraps of a nearby beach towel and returned the mischievous mouse to its Pokéball. She sighed, and went back to the edge of the pool.

"Sorry about that, Misty. She likes to be a nuisance... All the time."

"It's fine." She dismissed the incident with a flick of her hand.

"Well, maybe we sh-" Sandy never got to finish her sentence, because the phone on the wall of the gym beeped, signaling an incoming call. Misty made no move to answer it.

"Are you gonna get that?"

"You can." Giving Misty a look of uncertainty, the blue-eyed teen approached the black device and picked the receiver up. It was a regular phone, so there was no video.

"H-Hello?"

"Misty? There's some dude out here wanting to challenge you. Would you like to accept his challenge?"

"I, uh... I'm not Misty, but I can put her on for you. I think."

"That would be fine." After the person on the line gave her indirect permission to do so, Sandy called out to Misty. The redhead gave a lazy flick of her hand which seemed to indicate 'whatever.'

"Er, she said to send him in." The blonde spoke into the receiver nervously, as if she wasn't sure she was supposed to be doing what she was doing, though she was technically authorized to do so.

"Great. He'll be there in about three minutes." Sandy put the phone back on the wall, and walked back over to the pool.

"Misty? I let him in. I hope that's what you wanted."

"So I've heard." The azure-eyed teen continued to float in the water, with her eyes closed. She made no motion to get her Pokémon ready, or prepare herself.

"Are you uh, gonna get ready for the match?"

"I think I'll sit this one out."

"But... From what you said, your sisters aren't exactly the best at battling."

"Oh, they're not. But I know a girl who's fairly good at battling, but could use a bit of experience."

"Who? You don't have much time." Sandy was almost becoming irritated with Misty's sense of irresponsibility at the time; it was so unlike her.

"Well, do you have your Pokémon ready?" The azure-eyed teen inquired.

"They're all healed up, but what does that have to do with any-" at once, realization hit the blonde, and she felt stupid for not understanding earlier. "Wait, so you want _me_ to battle for you? Isn't that illegal?"

"Meh. Once doesn't matter, and I think Annabell and Delia could do a pretty good job." By now, the redhead had learned the names of Sandy's Bulbasaur and Caterpie. She knew that this experience could actually be good for the boy who came in, because most new trainers came in with a grass or electric type hoping to dominate her tough water types. Sandy could give him a good fight with the type advantage.

"Uh, okay... But shouldn't I change?" Sandy would feel slightly embarrassed if she battled the boy in her current swimsuit attire. However, before Misty could reply, the challenger walked into the arena. He had brown hair, and appeared to be quite a few inches taller than Sandy herself was. He was muscular, and had dark, chocolate-brown eyes. He looked around Sandy's age.

She walked up to him, still in her bathing suit, trying to keep her pride. "Someone told me you'd like to have a battle?"

"Yes, I would love to. Is the gym leader here?" He glanced around, scanning for the usual gym leader.

"Well, yeah, but apparently I'm going to be battling with you."

"I guess that's alright." He gave her a smile, and for a moment, Sandy was startled. Though he, of course, carried the outlined style of this world, that grin was oddly familiar... Trying to ignore it, she decided to introduce herself.

"Well, my name is Sandy Desertflower." She extended her right hand out to him, and he took it.

"Jason Shayde. Pleasure to meet you, Sandy." Right at that moment, Sandy fell apart on the inside. She kept a facade on the outside, but her mind was racing.

_Jason Shayde? I know that name. I grew up hearing that name. But, there are probably lots of Jason Shaydes out there, right? That could be a possibility, but that doesn't explain why he resembles the one I grew up with so much!_

It was true. Back at her native home, Sandy had grown up with a boy that went by the name 'Jason Shayde.' He looked exactly like the handsome fellow standing in front of her, and they shared the same voice. To her knowledge, there were only two active portals between her world and the one she was currently in. One resided in the mini-forest by her home, and the other was halfway across the world. How could he have found either?

Deciding to ignore this disturbing information, she told him to follow her to the pool. By now, Misty had collected her Pokémon from the water and had gotten out herself. She was now sitting in the bleachers nearby. Mounting the rostrum where Misty had stood the day before, Sandy called out to her opponent.

"Are ya ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, this will be a one on one battle! I will call out my Pokémon first." Without waiting any longer, the blonde pulled out one of her Pokéballs and spun it in her hand. She gave it a quick kiss before sending the creature inside out to battle.

"Go, Annabell!" When summoned, the little seed Pokémon looked around, eager to begin the battle.

"Okay... Go, Xace!" The brown-haired boy standing across from her hurled his own sphere onto one of the nearby platforms, and out popped a Cyndaquil.

"Cynda, Cynd!" It cried out its name in pride. Though it looked confident, Sandy had her doubts. Even with its type advantage, if it fell in the water it would be in immense pain.

"All right, let's start this off! Annabell, use leech seed!" Immediately, the turquoise dinosaur sent a seed towards the fire type on the opposite end of the pool. It latched onto its head, and quickly grew into an energy-sucking web.

"Ack, Xace... Try to burn it off with your flames!" The Cyndaquil did just that, but unfortunately a moment too late. While Jason was trying to save his companions strength, Sandy had ordered her own Pokémon to wrap her vines around the shrew-like creature. Being careful to miss the water, the Bulbasaur threw the Pokémon into the wall just outside the pool. The poor fire-type hit with a 'thud,' before falling back onto the ground, unconscious.

"Ah, man... That was a good effort, Xace. Return." The brown-haired teen looked upset at Sandy's easy victory, but walked around the pool to shake hands with her. The blonde was doing the same.

"Hey, that was a good match. I bet that if we'd have been on a field that you could have utilized better, I would've been in trouble." Sandy offered him a smile, and he returned it.

"Thanks. You're a pretty good trainer yourself." Both teens stood staring at each other, while still shaking hands. They didn't realize this until a while after, though. Trying not to be awkward, Jason slowly released his grip on Sandy's hand.

"So, are you on a journey?" Sandy asked the question sincerely, trying to be kind.

"Yeah. I actually uh, started out in Johto very recently. I... began in a part of the region where there was some Hoenn Pokémon, and I caught a few. I came to Kanto to challenge the gym leaders, and I hope to qualify for the Indigo League eventually. So to answer your question, yes, I am traveling."

"Do you wish to travel alone?" Sandy looked at him hopefully, wanting him to give her the answer she wanted so desperately to hear.

"Yes, I do travel alone, for now. I need to... figure some things out about my life, and then maybe, someday, I'll want to travel with someone."

When the words left his mouth, Sandy felt disappointed. She wanted to travel with someone, but decided it could wait. "Oh, all right."

"You know, I hope to have a rematch with you someday." When he put that thought into her mind, Sandy immediately brightened up.

"Really?"

"Yeah, and this time I'm going to win." The brown-eyed teen gave Sandy a cocky look, and she laughed.

"Pfft, yeah right. Only if that little Cyndaquil of yours gets tougher!"

"Trust me. He will."

With that, they both said their goodbyes and parted. Sandy dashed back to the pool where she jumped in with a large splash.

"Hey, take it easy. I don't need you nearly drowning again." The blonde turned her head to the source of the voice, only to see Misty herself walking back down to the water from the bleachers.

"Oh, it's you. I'm not gonna drown, I promise you that."

"You know, I'm proud of you."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm proud of you for not intentionally drowning his Pokémon." Misty's praise startled Sandy, for she hadn't really expected it. Speechless, she let the redhead continue.

"Most people, when given an opportunity like yours, would've thrown his Cydaquil right into the water, because it would be a quick win. You, however, did it the chivalrous way by saving the creature the pain." Still stunned by Misty's praise, Sandy remained quiet.

"I know you will become a great trainer someday. You have some great Pokémon, and you have special qualities that are hard to find nowadays." Finally able to take in her words, the blue-eyed girl smiled at the azure-eyed one.

"Y'know, it really means a lot to me for you to say that."

"You're welcome. Anyways... About this Jason guy..." Misty wriggled her eyebrows at the new topic. Immediately catching on, Sandy gave her an appalled look while blushing.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can see your blush plain as day, Sandy. It was love at first sight, wasn't it?"

"SHUT UP! I've known him for what? Twenty minutes? I can't develop feelings that quick!" Which, in all reality, would've been true. But if Jason _had_ somehow been connected to the other Jason she knew from her native world, she did, actually have feelings for him. Though they were generally suppressed, they were still there.

"Whatever you say." Misty still had a knowing look on her face, and then Sandy's mouth decided to run unexpectedly and say something she had honestly not meant to say.

"Well, I don't see you in a relationship or anything, now do I?" Once those words left her mouth, Sandy instantly regretted it. Misty's face quickly fell into a frown, and her eyes were filled with sorrow.

"That's because I'm still hung up on someone."

"Were you recently in a relationship?" Sandy was quite sure that wasn't the case, but she still asked the question.

"No. I was never actually in a relationship."

"Then how are you hung up...?" Misty gave a sigh before telling her what happened.

"Years ago, I went on an adventure. At the time, I was of course, ten. I met a nice boy who really had a passion for Pokémon. Though he was immature, he was also quite admirable. At first, I had a little-girlish crush on him, but when we separated when we were both thirteen, I realized that I really had liked him a lot the entire time." Misty gave Sandy a sad look before continuing.

"He left and went on to other regions. He made new friends. We kept in touch for a while and I even saw him every once in a while. But, about the time he started traveling in the Sinnoh region, he stopped contacting me. It was what I'd been dreading for a long time, really. I knew it would happen eventually, because he's that kind of guy that prefers to look forward and never look back, y'know?" After hearing her elaboration on the matter, Sandy remained quiet for several moments. She was trying to think of something to say to comfort her, but wasn't exactly the best at alleviating others when dealing with their problems. So, she said the only thing she could think of.

"Why? Why are you telling me this? It's not that I don't care, but you've known me for just over a day, and you're telling me about emotional problems? I-I don't get it." Misty looked hurt for a moment, and Sandy realized she had probably said something offensive.

"Well, I guess it's because I'm unable to share it with anyone else. My sisters would make fun of me. I don't have a whole lot of friends. You're one of the few people that I feel may have some sympathy, but I suppose I was wrong." Sandy looked mortified for a second, and decided to attempt to fix what she had said.

"No, no, no, no. I do care. I'm just shocked that you'd tell me something like this. I'm not very skilled in this uh, sort of issue, but I will tell you that things will pull through in the end." Misty smiled, but didn't say much more. She floated around the water for a while, not saying much. Sandy had decided to latch onto the edge of the pool with her left arm, and was trying to help her Caterpie swim without drowning. For almost half an hour, the silence ensued both teens, but eventually Misty decided to ask a question.

"You know, I happened to overhear you and Jason talking. You said something about traveling?" The redhead continued to float with her eyes closed. Sandy stopped playing with her Pokémon for a moment.

"Well, yeah. I was actually planning on leaving tomorrow morning."

"Would you mind if someone came with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Would you mind if someone came and traveled with you? I haven't left this gym in several years, and I love being out on the road, despite how much I like my job." Misty had by now started treading the water, and was looking at Sandy with hopeful eyes.

"Well, no, I wouldn't mind at all. But, what about the gym? Don't you have to run it?"

"I put the responsibility on my sisters six years ago; I can do it again."

"Isn't that a bit irresponsible?" The redhead sighed and gave a feeble smile to the blonde.

"I-I suppose it is. But... what if I helped them to be better trainers or something? My oldest sister, Daisy, has shown a slight interest in battling lately, and maybe I can help her with her skills..."

"See? You're already making progress. At this rate, you can be on the road in no time!" Sandy crossed her eyes and grinned enthusiastically. It was one of the odd things she would do when excited.

"Huh. Well, it's getting close to seven. Do you think we oughta get out and eat something?" Misty, though not hungry herself, had learned by now that her blonde friend had a large appetite.

"Ugh, yes! That would be great; I'm starving."

With that, both teens went into Cerulean to search for a place to grab a bite to eat.

* * *

The next morning, Sandy left. Of course, she said her goodbyes to the gym leader, and also left with a smile.

"So, what are you planning on doing after you leave? Gonna challenge the rest of the gym leaders so you can enter the League Competition this fall?"

"Nah. I'm planning on traveling around a bit, while trying to bond more with my Pokémon. I do wish to enter the Indigo League next year, though."

"Hmmmm, that's good." Both girls stood quietly, not saying much. This went on for several seconds, before Sandy decided she should probably leave.

"Well, thanks for letting me stay here. I guess I'll see you again sometime soon?"

"Yeah. Maybe when you come back, you'll have be traveling with someone else, and then we can really have some fun!" The teens smiled at each other, before Sandy finally departed after saying her farewells. She released all three of her Pokémon from their Pokéballs, and asked if they were ready to go. Once they all confirmed they were, she took off sprinting down the street that would lead her out of the beautiful city.

* * *

_Author's Notes: Well gee, Pokéstar, I thought you promised for this chapter to be up within two weeks! What happened?_

_If you want a basic sum up of how last week went for me, here you go: _

_**Germs:** Let's make Pokéstar sick enough to make her feel terrible, but not so sick so that she can still attend school!_

_**Sports:** Let's put four games in a week!_

_**Teachers:** Let's give everyone plenty of homework that we know they'll have hardly any time to do!_

_So yeah. I was ill last week, and I also had a ton of schoolwork. To top it off, I'm involved in sports and had to attend to all the games. I actually got around 3,000 words typed when I was traveling to one of my games, if that tells you guys anything. _

_Anywho, I'd like to thank anyone who has been faithful to this story. I know it's been pretty boring so far, but trust me, the story like with eventually become pretty kick-bum. Once again, any type of constructive criticism is welcome, whether it concerns my grammar and spelling or how I type. It's all appreciated. _

_Until the next next Friday._

_**Word Count:** 11,402 _

_P.S. How do you guys like lengthy chapters? Personally, I like long chapters like these when I read FanFics, but that's personal preference. If you all want, I can split chapters in two so that they're easier to read in one sitting. Please give me your opinion! _


	5. Up On The Mountaintop

**_~Chapter 5~_**

**_~Up On The Mountaintop~_**

Breathing in the extremely cold night air, the blonde trudged up the rugged mountainside with six of her Pokémon by her side. They stayed out of their Pokéballs because they loved their master. However, because of the extreme weather and environment, she had been hesitant about letting them travel alongside her. When one of them tripped and failed to get up after several tries, she nearly forced the creature to get back in its capsule.

"Listen, Delia. I know you're really strong for your species, but honestly, these harsh conditions are bit much for you, don't you agree?" The blonde crouched down near the creature, who was shivering from the effects of the mountain air.

"Sanny, Nnnnnna. Nnnya, Nya-n-n-n-nnnnn." Doing her best to understand her Pokémon's native tongue, she spoke back to the struggling bug type.

"I know it's no good to argue with you, but you have to admit: all of the others either have a fur coat or protective armor. All you have is your skin. I know you're chilly, because I can see you shaking. I don't need you getting sick. Please return to your Pokéball, or at least ride on Dustin's back." At her words, the spoken of black dog perked his ears and went over to sit closer. He was quite obedient, and would listen to whatever his master told him to do.

"Grrrowr?" He nudged her gently with his head, and the girl rested her hand atop his skull. He was warm to the touch. With his help, Delia may be able to travel more comfortably up the mountain.

"Dusty, can you let Delia ride on your back? She doesn't have fur like you, and she's freezing up here. That is, unless you're cold as well." The dog shook his head, indicating that he was not chilly at all. It would seem disgraceful to his kind if he had been even the slightest bit cold.

"Thank you." The girl took Delia in her arms, and placed her on Dustin's backside. The creature looked up at her master thankfully, before her eyes fluttered shut and sleep overcame her. Looking around at the rest of her companions, the blonde motioned for them to continue forward. By now, she had realized it was a mistake to take a shortcut through these mountains to get back to her native region.

"Bulb... Bulbasaur..." The group had only gone several feet before another Pokémon seemed to be faltering from the effects of the weather. She collapsed, and the blonde quickly ran over to her side.

"A-Annabell... Are you going to be okay?" The girl spoke to her Pokémon with a shaky voice. She was clearly worried.

"Bulb." The creature slowly lifted her head off the snow covered terrain, and attempted to stand up. However, she quickly fell back down. She obviously didn't have the strength to carry on. If she stayed out in the weather for much longer, she probably wouldn't live on for much longer.

"This is ridiculous. I want you in your Pokéball. Now." The blonde teen pulled the creature's Pokéball off of her belt, and tried to withdraw the creature. However, she simply popped right back out of the capsule.

"Bulba, Saur. Bulbasaur, Bulbasaur." The Pokémon called out with stubbornness.

"Get in the Pokéball."

"Saur."

"Get in the Pokéball now, or I'm going to be upset with you."

"Saur." The creature shook its head at every one of her master's orders, and the blonde was beginning to get frustrated.

"Please get back in the Pokéball! I don't need you freezing up here. Can't you just act like a regular Pokémon for once?" By now, the girl had several tears streaming down her face. She was cold, tired, and frustrated. Her other Pokémon sat quietly nearby, watching the scene unfold in front of them.

"Saur... Saur!" Once again, the Pokémon refused to listen to her master's orders.

"Annabell, get back in your Pokéball, PLEASE!" Crying out in hysterics, the teen was beginning to grow desperate. Hence, she resorted to shouting.

"SAUR! Bulba SAUR!"

"P-PLEASE... Just get in, please..." The girl had calmed down, though hot tears were quickly cascading down her cheeks.

"S-Saur..." The Pokémon feebly rejected the offer yet again, before collapsing face first into the snow.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Did you hear that?"

"Pikapi?"

"Listen."

A Pokémon and his master were both trudging along rough mountain terrain, hoping to come across wild Pokémon that could be potential opponents. However, the human had come to abrupt stop, claiming to have heard something.

"Pi...ka?" At once, the Pokémon perked his ears, and looked at his master. Through his eyes, he indicated that he had also, in fact, heard something.

"Maybe we should see what's going on. It sounded almost human-like, and perhaps someone is in trouble. Come on." The male turned around, and started to sprint in the direction of the sound, with his Pokémon right on his heels. Flurries of snow were beginning to fall out of the sky, and the human knew he didn't have much time until he would have no choice but to return to the cave he called home.

"Pikapi... Pikachu, Pi." The rodent-like Pokémon continued to run alongside his master, almost looking distressed. By now, the calls were becoming louder. It seemed that a human and a Pokémon were communicating with each other. It was difficult to pinpoint exactly where the cries were oriented, for sound bounced around the various mountain peaks. The mouse Pokémon noticed that his master seemed to be fatigued, but didn't speak up as they both kept a brisk pace through the rugged ground.

At once, the Pokémon's master came to an abrupt halt. His yellow companion nearly smashed into his legs, but was able to stop at the last second. Holding his finger to his lips, the human signaled for the duo to listen.

"K-K-Kasumi, p-p-please get up-p-p!" The human and his Pokémon heard what sounded like a female in anguish.

"G-Get Up-p, p-please!" It was also clear that she was sobbing. Whoever it was obviously had a problem on her hands. Looking down at his Pokémon and nodding, the boy walked toward where it seemed the sobs were coming from. He rounded several small peaks, looking desperately for whatever was in such distress. Yelling out in frustration, he rounded one last mound of earth before stopping dead in his tracks.

In front of him appeared to be a girl with her arms wrapped tightly around an unconscious Pikachu. The Pokémon in her clutches had ice clumped in her fur, and looked eerily still. The girl wasn't much better, for she was somewhat underdressed for the freezing climate of the mountain. Her attire consisted of jeans, a jacket, and a hat. She also lay still, though she would occasionally whimper out that name of her Pokémon. Surrounding the trainer and her Pikachu were four other creatures. One of them, a Nidorina, immediately perked up and jumped away from her master and directly towards the intruder.

"Nido Nido!" It protectively leaped in front of her trainer.

"Hey, hey, we mean no harm. What's going on?" He looked at the poison-type innocently, and he held his arms high in the air.

"Rina, Nido. Nidorina, Nido Nido." The Nidorina gave the boy a sour look, before calling over one of the other Pokémon. It appeared to be a Rhyhorn. It was surprisingly small for its species.

"Rrrrrrrrn?" It also gazed at the newcomers with hostility.

"Look, can we please just have a look at your trainer? She looks like she's in bad shape and snow is beginning to fall." The male took a step towards the motionless girl, but both the Nidorina and Rhyhorn jumped in front of him.

"Rhy, Rrrrrrrrrn."

"Nido Nidorina." They both growled up at him, and he realized it may be harder than he thought to get the girl to safety.

"Ugh, listen! That girl is obviously in danger. I know where shelter and food is, and I can guarantee you that I won't hurt her or you." The boy spoke with kindness, though his voice was starting to waver. The two defensive Pokémon glanced at each other unsurely before allowing the boy and his Pikachu access to the spot where their master lay.

The first thing the boy observed was the Pikachu she held tightly in her arms. She had a green cloth tied around her left ear. The mouse appeared to be nearly frozen to death, and he realized action must be taken quickly.

"Okay, uh... Are you all fit to travel any further? There's a cave further up the mountain a bit, and I know I can start a fire and warm you all up. Is there anyone who can't keep going?" He glanced around at the rest of the Pokémon surrounding the girl. There was, of course, a Nidorina and a Rhyhorn, but there was also a Houndour with a sleeping Caterpie on its back. The three conscious creatures shook their heads, each indicating that they were all too capable of traveling further.

"In that case, would any of you mind if I had one of my own Pokémon carry your master? I would do it myself, but we have no time to waste." The three Pokémon looked at each other with uncertainty, but eventually the Houndour gave a low growl and a nod.

"Grrrrrowr."

"Thank you. Go, Donphan!" The male tossed a capsule onto the ground in front of him, and a massive elephant-like creature materialized in front of him. Instinctively, the Nidorina and Rhyhorn jumped right back in front of their own master, for the Donphan was much larger than either of them.

"Hey, take it easy. He's not gonna hurt her!" The frustrated male called out to reassure the two Pokémon, and his words seemed to calm them down slightly. Once again, they gradually moved out of the way.

"All right, Donphan. Can you please carry this girl on your back, all the way up to the den? I'll put her on for you..." The Armor Pokémon's trainer trailed off before approaching the still girl. He tenderly grabbed her around the midriff, and removed the Pikachu from her grasp. He set the mouse-like creature on the ground before gently laying the female on the back of his own Pokémon. Turning his attention back to her Pikachu, he grabbed her just below the arms. Immediately, he was in for a literal shock.

Though the voltage was not very strong, the Pokémon electrocuted him. He was fairly used to feeling by now, but it had startled him due to that fact that the Pikachu was in a near-death state. Shaking off the layer of soot that now coated his skin and clothes; he motioned for all of the living creatures to follow after him.

Dodging through the stalagmite-like rock formations on the terrain, the Donphan led the way. Being careful not to throw his passenger off, he kept a hasty yet smooth, steady pace. Behind him ran his master, holding the girl's Pikachu close to his body, with his own Pikachu right beside him.

"Nido!" The Poison Pin Pokémon running behind the male let out a startled cry before falling face first into a snowdrift. Quickly pulling out of the obstacle before anyone could help her, the Nidorina shook the snow off her face and grunted before carrying on.

It seemed like they would never stop running. Even the boy who knew the mountain like the back of his hand was beginning to believe that they had missed the cave. Ordering his Donphan to slow down, he stood, looking around for the place he called home. Snow was falling very heavily now, and the trainer was beginning to grow weary.

"Pikachu," he spoke to his companion in a near whisper, "where is the cave?"

"Pika, Pikapi." The electric rodent twitched his ears a couple of times before jolting off in the direction opposite of which they had been running.

"Hey, wait up!" The Pikachu's trainer motioned for all of his followers to draggle behind him. Without hesitation, they all did. With each passing moment, they were all beginning to trust this human less and less, for his promises of warmth and safety had so far gone unfulfilled.

"Rnnnnn!" At once, the girl's Rhyhorn stopped abruptly, and her Nidorina followed suit. Hearing the roar of the Spikes Pokémon made the boy turn around and look disbelievingly at the two creatures.

"Come _on_, guys! We're really close to the cave now, I know it. Just push a little more, and we'll be there." Unlike they had done previously, the two Pokémon stayed firmly put on the snowy ground and did not comply with the male's orders.

"Rhy, Rhy Rhy Hrrrrrrrrn." The Rhyhorn shook her head sassily, defying anything the trainer in front of her attempted to persuade her with. Beside her, the Nidorina seemed to back her up.

"Nido Nido. Nidorina."

"S-Seriously? Your trainer is freezing to death, and you're failing to do anything? I'm sure she'd be _so_ proud of you." The male had become very irate with the two Pokémon. He didn't understand why they wouldn't listen to him; he was only trying to help their trainer. Not wanting to leave them out in the snow, he walked up to the body of their master. He fumbled with the capsules on her belt, trying to figure out which of the spheres belonged to the Pokémon sitting stubbornly in the snow. Taking two of them, he aiming them at the creatures.

At once, the Nidorina disappeared in a ray of red light. Once returned to the Pokéball, the Poison Pin Pokémon struggled to get out of the capsule, but the male kept a firm grip around it. All the while, the Rhyhorn sat snickering at the scenario.

"You think this is_ funny_? I think you should straighten out your act. And-" the boy pulled a different capsule off of the girl's belt, "-return!" However, nothing happened again. This caused the Spikes Pokémon to roar with laughter, causing the impatient boy to try another one of the empty spheres.

"RETURN!" The Rhyhorn's chuckling ceased, and she was pulled into her Pokéball. She struggled and struggled, but her attempts to break out of the capsule were unsuccessful.

Sighing, the male continued along running, and shortly found the cavern he had been looking for. His Donphan came to a slow stop in front of the cave entrance, and the trainer followed suit. He carefully walked up to the sturdy slab of wood that stood at the entryway. He moved it out of the way, and allowed for his Pokémon to walk inside. He also stepped in, followed by the freezing girl's Houndour and Caterpie.

"Okay, Donphan, I'll take it from here. Thanks for your help." He walked over and gently removed the girl from his Pokémon's backside, and then returned the large elephant-like creature.

"All right... I need to slowly warm her up somehow. Do any of you know how to creature pure water energy?" The male looked down at the Caterpie and Houndour before realizing how stupid the question was. The conscious of the two, the Houndour, gave him a look that said 'honestly?'

"Oh, that's right. I've seen five of your trainer's Pokémon. Does she have a sixth Pokémon? If so, would it be of any help? We gotta hurry." Now the Houndour gave him a hopeless look. The final Pokémon of his trainer's team would be no help at all in the current scenario.

"I get the feeling that we might be in trouble... It uh, doesn't hurt to try though, does it?" He looked at the Houndour nervously before bending down and reaching for the girl's belt. Instantly, he felt hot fangs sinking into his arm.

"Ahhhhhhh! Ow, Ow, OW!" Houndour, what in the name of Mew do you think you're doing?" The black hound had sunken his teeth into the boy's forearm. He had even fired them up a little bit, only adding to his pain.

"Let go, please!" The boy began shaking the dog around wildly, hoping to loosen his grip.

"Grrrroooowwwww, Grrrrrowrowrow." Unclamping his jaws, the Houndour jumped away from the male trainer and landed neatly on his hind paws. He didn't seem at all happy with the boy's attempt at getting close to the Pokéballs, or the girl.

"I'm. Not. Going. To. Steal. Her. Pokémon. Or. Hurt. Her." Fuming because of what the black Pokémon had done, the male put dramatic emphasis on every word he uttered. Still, though, the Houndour seemed suspicious.

"Do you not get near other people very often?"

"Growwwwwwwr."

"Ah. I see." The boy pretended to understand, seeing that it may make the dark-type more comfortable around him. At first the Pokémon gave him an incredulous glance, before heaving a large sigh. He moved out of the way, allowing the male access to his master. Once by her side, he took all six of the Pokéballs off of her belt and lobbed them onto the floor of the cave.

Of course, the Nidorina and Rhyhorn appeared. The second they were released, however, they ran straight over to the boy and slammed him to the ground.

"Rhhhhhhy, Hrrrrrrn!"

"Nidorina, Nido, Nido Nidorina Rina!"

They both bellowed their names, and it seemed to be in a jeering and insulting fashion. With exertion, the male did manage to get onto his feet.

"Y-yeah. I do suppose I d-deserved that. But hey! We're here in shelter, just like I promis-" He stopped abruptly when he saw a motionless figure on the ground.

It was a Bulbasaur.

"I... Was this the sixth Pokémon? Is it all right?" He rushed over to aid the creature, but then remembered why he had tried to call it out in the first place. Realizing none of the girl's Pokémon would be of any assistance in generating 'pure water energy,' he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Ugh... I guess I'm going to have to trust that you can do this for me. Go, Buizel!" Upon being summoned, the water weasel stood confidently in front of his trainer.

"All right, Buizel. I know that you haven't been able to master the ability to use pure water energy like Squirtle and Totodile, but I need you to try really, really hard because this girl needs your help." He pointed at the unconscious girl on the ground.

"Bui!" The water weasel gave an affirmative nod and shook his head. Immediately, he emitted a slow stream of what appeared to be water onto the female on the floor.

"No, no, Buizel. Fill the recess at the back of the cave with water. I'll bring her over to you."

"Zel..." The Pokémon did as told, but looked mildly confused. His trainer dragged the body of the girl over, and waited for the Buizel to finish the job. However, the results of the Pokémon's efforts were futile.

Shortly after the little orange weasel had filled the area with water, it slowly seemed to disappear into thin air.

"Awww, c'mon Buizel! We can't have non-pure energy now. I need you to really focus." His trainer egging him on, the Pokémon attempted once again to fill the recess in the floor. However, his efforts were of no avail.

"Bui, bui, bui..." By now, the weasel was growing frustrated, and it was clear. He knew that someone's life depended on him, and he was doing a terrible job.

_I bet Squirtle and Totodile could do it, _he thought pitifully to himself. Nevertheless, he tried one last time.

"Bui... zel!" He let out a massive stream of water, and this time it stayed in the hole without fading away. For a moment the Pokémon stood with his mouth agape, as did his trainer. Then, the two slowly faced each other before giving one another a high five.

"You finally did it!" His trainer exclaimed in joy. "Dawn would be proud."

These words made the water weasel Pokémon gleeful, but sorrowful as well. He missed the spoken of blunette dreadfully. For a moment, the two remained silent before they remembered the problem at hand.

The male turned around, and lifted the girl up by her wrists before gently setting her in the pool of water. He stood back up and recalled his Buizel, before sending out the Pokémon that would be crucial for the rest of the warming procedure.

"Go, Charizard!"

The massive dragon-like Pokémon materialized with a roar, and let out a small stream of fire, which alarmed his trainer.

"Charizard, we're kinda indoors if you haven't noticed!" The fire-type gave a snort and a shrug, before awaiting his master's command.

"All right. Now Charizard, we kinda have a problem at hand. See that girl?" he pointed over to the water-filled crevice where she floated peacefully, "I found her in the mountains today. She was nearly frozen to death, as was her Pika-" He stopped abruptly, suddenly remembering the Pokémon the girl had been clutching in her arms. Alarmed, he looked around desperately for it.

What he found was not exactly what he wanted to see.

"Nido nido! Rina, Nido!"

"Rhy, Rhy Hrnnnn..."

"Pi.. Pika, Pika Chu!"

In the far corner of the cave, he noticed his own Pikachu trying to warm up the unconscious one that belonged to the girl. However, the Nidorina and Rhyhorn didn't seem to approve of his actions.

"Ack! Pikachu, move, Nidorina, Rhyhorn, move... I need to warm her up along with that girl..." He sprinted over to where the four Pokémon were, and went to pick up the nearly-frozen Pikachu. The Rhyhorn and Nidorina both growled at him, but didn't so much move a muscle. The male quickly made his way back to the pool of water, and gently slipped the Pikachu into the water along with her master.

"Now that that's taken care of," he paused to catch his breath, "Charizard, I need you to slowly heat the water up. _Slowly." _The trainer was sure to add emphasis on the fact that the water needed to be heated gradually; he knew how careless his fire dragon could be.

The trainer sat on the floor of the cavern and waited for around a half hour. He made sure to frequently check that his Charizard wasn't making the water too hot, and that the girl and Pikachu within it weren't overheating. When he felt like the two bodies had gotten to a reasonably warm temperature, he slid them out of the water and wrapped them in blankets made of warm Tauros fur. Afterwards, he carried them both over to the ventilated fire pit at the other end of the cave, and set them beside it before ordering his Charizard to use 'pure fire energy' on a pile of logs that were in the middle of the pit. It smoldered for a while, but eventually became a large bonfire with flames leaping high into the air.

He waited patiently for several hours, alongside his own Pikachu, and the girl's Nidorina, Rhyhorn, Houndour, and sleeping Caterpie. As he looked around at the Pokémon, he suddenly felt a sense of dread.

"Wait... W-where's that Bulbasaur that was here earlier?" Instantly, all of the Pokémon whipped around to face each other before looking towards the entryway of the cavern.

"Arrrrooo!" The Houndour yelped and leaped over to the place where the Bulbasaur lay. She was breathing, and almost appeared to be sleeping. She didn't seem to be in as severe condition as the blonde or her Pikachu. The black fire-type howled to the male trainer by the fire, and he came over to inspect the Seed Pokémon.

"Hmmm... She appears to be resting. I don't _think_ she has any problems, so I'll just set her over by the fire until she comes to." He picked the little grass type up and carried her over to the fire with the rest of her companions.

He sat by the flames for maybe an hour more, before finally beginning to feel fatigued. Looking around at the other Pokémon around the fire, he realized that most of them were already asleep. The Houndour had curled up in a fetal position with the Caterpie by his side, and the Rhyhorn had fallen asleep, as well. His own Charizard and Pikachu still lay beside him awake, as did the Nidorina. His eye lids were beginning to close when suddenly, the Pikachu with the green ear-tie began to stir.

"Pi...Ka?" She opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. Immediately, she let loose several thundershocks upon seeing the unfamiliar environment. This caused the male overlooking her to grow slightly annoyed.

"Why do you do that? You were in a near-death state earlier and you shocked me then, too! You might wanna look into controlling your electricity." He admonished the yellow mouse, and she gave him a disgusted look before noticing her motionless trainer that lay beside him.

"Pikapi? P-Pika, Pikachu Pika Pi?" She immediately ran to her master's side, and tried to snuggle into her arms. Small tears were beginning to form in her little blue eyes as she turned to the only other human in the cavern. She gave him a malicious look.

"Chu! PikaPi, Chaa, Pikachu!" She seemed to be threatening him. The tears that had welled in her eyes were beginning to slowly flow down her cheek fur, and only caused the charge in her cheek pouches to crackle.

"Whoa, whoa, I didn't do_ anything_ to her. I found her half-frozen on the top of the mountain, and she probably would've died if I hadn't showed up." He held his hands up in a nonthreatening position, and his own Pikachu seemed to back him up. Looking over the two, the female Pikachu still held her aggressive disposition. However, she glanced over at the still-vigorous Nidorina for possible answers. The Poison Pin Pokémon gave her a subtle nod, as if to say that the two strangers were in fact, telling the truth. Allowing a few more tears to dribble down her face, the Pikachu gave the male and his own Pikachu an unsure look before crawling back over to her trainer. She buried her head in her master's arms, and sobbed herself to sleep.

The boy looked down at his Pikachu with a nervous expression, before seating himself back on the ground. He decided to return his Charizard to his Pokéball; the massive dragon would only add to the insecure feelings of the little female Pikachu.

By now, the male was incredibly tired. He tried his best to keep from dozing off, but even the surges his yellow rodent would occasionally send through him eventually weren't enough to keep his away from sleep.

He was in a comfortable slumber when a scream jolted him awake.

"Wha-What? Was gon' on? P-Pikachu thunderbolt er somethin'..." The male jerked his head up abruptly, but he wasn't fully functional yet. His Pokémon did not send out any sparks, seeing how out of it his trainer was.

"Wait a minute, aren't y-" The girl who had been unconscious for the past few hours spoke for the first time, but stopped herself immediately.

"Am I wha...?" The drowsy boy still wasn't completely awake, but was slowly beginning to regain the memories of the situation he was in.

"Never mind that. Where am I? Who are you? Why are my Pokémon all sitting around this fire?" She rattled off questions hastily, which the male answered easily.

"You're on Mt. Silver, in a cave, I'm Ash, and your Pokémon refused to leave your side." He gave the responses casually, but when he mentioned his name, he thought that the girl was about to go berserk.

"Whoa-ho-ho, you mean that you're the Ash that-" She stopped herself again. Ash noted that she seemed almost scared to continue. Brushing off the odd behavior, he decided to remain silent. They both sat quietly for a few minutes, before the girl spoke up again.

"Well. You haven't really said much. What happened, and why am I in this uh, well-furnished cave?" She glanced around at her surroundings, and noticed they almost looked the interior of a small house.

"Uh, see, I was up searching for Pokémon to battle against, when I heard someone screaming from further down the mountain. I came across you, and all of your Pokémon. Your Pikachu was nearly frozen to death, as were you. I brought you all back to my cave, and here we are now." He gave a half smile and shrug, as if the whole incident was really not that big of a deal. However, the girl's eyes widened and she reached down and picked her Pikachu up.

"We nearly died? See, Kasumi, this is why you should have gotten in the Pokéball." She stared down at the Pikachu in her arms, and the rodent looked up at her with a sheepish expression.

"Yeah. I had my Donphan carry you back, and then I had my Buizel and Charizard help with heating you slowly." He shrugged.

"Well, I'm grateful for your efforts. By the way, I'm Sandy." She gave him a polite nod, before looking around at the rest of her Pokémon.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sandy. May I ask, though, why you were climbing over Mt. Silver in the middle of the winter?" Ash gave her an inquisitive stare, and she looked over at her Houndour.

"Well, I started traveling around Kanto several months ago, obtaining and training Pokémon. I decided to head over to Johto for a bit of extra experience, and I caught some Pokémon along the way." She gazed proudly at her Houndour, who was still snoozing happily by the bonfire.

"That's great. Any specific reason you're going to such lengths to make your Pokémon stronger?"

"Yes. I'm actually going to compete in the Indigo League for the first time this September, and I want to be prepared. But, I could ask you the same thing. Why in the world are you on the top of Mt. Silver? It's dangerous up here, and I heard only some of the best trainers in the world have the nerve to stay up here and train." Sandy gave the boy an odd look, before he responded.

"Well... I actually travelled to the Unovan Islands around the beginning of May, but left for this mountain at the end of June for special training. I didn't feel like I was really progressing that much as a trainer anymore, so I actually-" he paused for several seconds before continuing, as if not sure if he should continue or not, "came here so that I could grind a little it and get my Pokémon in tip-top shape for the Indigo League Conference this September." At this, Sandy let out an audible gasp.

"But... the competition isn't that far away, and you need eight badges to qualify. Shouldn't you get started?" Although the girl already knew that he had the eight badges needed, she had to act like she didn't.

"Huh, now that you mention it, it is-" he looked over at several scratch marks on the right side of the cave, "about time that I get down off of this mountain. It's kind of grown on me, though. My Pokémon and I have had some interesting adventures up here." He smiled at his Pikachu, who grinned back at him.

"What do you think, buddy? Should we leave this big, bad mountain and go back home, where we belong?" The yellow mouse perked up, and cried out rather jovially.

"PikaPi!" He nuzzled his master's hand with his head, and the boy returned the affection.

"I see, I see. It'll be nice to get out of this harsh weather, huh?" He chuckled, and sat contently with his electric rodent for several seconds before speaking up.

"Say, I don't know when you plan on leaving, but would you mind if I had a battle with you? You have to be a pretty good trainer to survive up here this long. You're the first person I've seen since I've been here."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, sure, it'll be fun to challenge a person instead of wild Pokémon for a change." He laughed.

"Hm. In that case, you're going down!" She pulled out a capsule from her belt, before Ash halted her.

"Whoa, we're kinda in my home if you hadn't noticed. And," he waved his hand at Sandy's six Pokémon sleeping by the fire, "all of your Pokémon are out of their Pokéballs. I'm not sure how much good that Pokéball you're holding will do you." Looking at her already released Pokémon, Sandy hastily put her Pokémon. She felt her face heat up with embarrassment, and Ash chuckled at her.

"W-Well, let's just go outside, then! I'll return my Pokémon and _then_ my Pokéballs will be useful!" Sandy began to walk towards the entryway of the cavern, before Ash stopped her.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I'm pretty sure that it's around 3 A.M. right now, and I have a feeling that there's still a blizzard raging outside. We should get some rest and do it tomorrow." He yawned, and then motioned to what appeared to be a bed. "You can sleep up there. I normally sleep there, but I think I should offer my visitor some hospitality."

"How kind of you. Where will you sleep, though?" She looked around the cave for any other area suitable for resting, and did see what appeared to be several Tauros fur blankets on the floor a few feet away from the fire.

"I have some extra Tauros hides I can use. I'll just sleep by the fire. If you get cold, I can always get you another blanket." He dragged a few of the blankets over to the fire, and wrapped himself in them.

"Goodnight." He closed his eyes, and appeared to be asleep after only a few seconds. It was no wonder, considering that he had been watching over Sandy for several hours.

"Night." She crawled up into the bed-like structure, and found that sleep easily overcame her. After a few minutes, she was also snoozing away like the raven-haired trainer next to the fire.

* * *

"All right, so we'll have a three-on-three battle. Is that okay? I'll let you use your Pokédex to swap in your strongest Pokémon." Morning had come quickly over Mt. Silver, and Ash and Sandy had already found themselves outside in the fresh snow, preparing for their Pokémon battle.

"Uh, sure. If you could give me a minute, I'll go swap 'em out. Can I have a moment in your cave?" Catching the hint that the blonde wanted a bit of privacy with her Pokémon, he allowed her access to the cavern. Once inside, she closed the door and took all six capsules off her belt. She tossed them on the middle of the floor, and each of her companions materialized in front of her.

"Hey, guys. I'm not sure if you heard or not, but I'm going to have a battle with Ash." She looked around to make sure all of the creatures were paying attention, and then leaned down close to them.

"You know, he's a fairly tough trainer. To my knowledge, he's normally pretty incompetent, but his little stay up here might have helped him with his abilities." She was sure to whisper these words, because she technically wasn't supposed to know any of the information she was disclosing.

"So, I need to swap out three of you. Believe me, I know that you're all really strong, but I need some of my most experienced Pokémon out there for me." She offered them all a warm smile, before continuing.

"Well, I was planning on using Eleanor, Camille, and Chrissie. I understand that two of them are evolved, but believe me; I'm not trying to be biased. I just think that they may be able to give this guy a run for his money." Every Pokémon except for the Nidorina cringed when she stated who she would be using. Though they had nothing against the Pokémon themselves, they noted that they were all of course, evolved, with the exception of one.

"Good. Who is willing to switch out for the time being?" All of the creatures glanced at each other, before three of them stepped forward.

"Rhyhrrrrrrrnnnnn..."

"Nido."

"Growr."

The Houndour, Rhyhorn, and Nidorina all volunteered to leave. They were often annoyed that they were usually the ones to leave, and not the Caterpie, Bulbasaur, and Pikachu. They often felt like their trainer enjoyed their presence more than any of her other Pokémon.

"Thanks. Dusty, Lavera, Harlynn... return." She held up their respective Pokéballs, and they were contained within them. The blonde then held up her Pokédex and pressed a few buttons, which caused the three capsules to vanish, before three different ones took their place. She murmured a few words to the spheres, before getting up and heading back out into the crisp, cool mountain air.

"I guess I'm ready." Sandy approached the end of the clearing furthest from Ash, where she took a confident stance.

"Okay. I'll choose first. Go, Tauros!" A massive bull appeared in front of the raven-haired trainer.

"Hmmm, interesting choice. In that case, go, Chrissie!" Upon being summoned, a ghost-like creature materialized in front of Sandy. She floated up next to her trainer, and licked her cheek mischievously.

"Ack, Chris, stop it! I called you out to battle, not play!" Though the Pokémon was being slightly obnoxious, Sandy couldn't help but laugh.

"Haunta, Haunt..." The ghost faked sadness, and floated next to where the Tauros was poised.

"All right. I'll start us off! Tauros, Wild Charge!" The raven-haired trainer's bull took off running, nearly colliding with the Haunter. However, at the last second, she floated away from him.

"No... Tauros, spin around and try to get her!" Once again, the large brown Pokémon took off after the ghost-like creature. However, it seemed that Sandy had a counterattack ready.

"Chrissie, Psychic." The rampaging bull came to an abrupt halt, and was lifted into the air. He tried to free himself, but seemed unable to do so. The Haunter continued to lift him higher and higher, until finally, she stopped using the attack, thus causing the Tauros to plummet back towards the ground.

"Tauros, brace yourself!" The raven-haired trainer cried out to his Pokémon, but he was just a bit too late. The bull crashed into the ground, causing flurries of snow to uprise.

"Are you okay?" He called out to the bull, just as he was getting to his feet.

"Mrooooo!" He bellowed, signifying that he was still conscious and willing to battle. Ash was about to order another attack, when Sandy took advantage of his momentary pause.

"Chris, use Hypnosis." Immediately, the Haunter sent supersonic waves at the Tauros, and he fell asleep at once.

"Get up, Tauros!" The male trainer screeched at his Pokémon, though his efforts were futile.

"All right Chris, Dream Eater." Obeying her master's commands, the Haunter held out both of her hands, and emitted a red aura that engulfed both of the battling Pokémon. The Tauros began to toss and turn as though in pain, all while staying asleep. Eventually, though, the bull lay still. He had been rendered unconscious.

"So I see I've underestimated you. Tauros, return." Ash recalled his large brown bull before pulling a second capsule from his belt. "I know I haven't had you for very long, nor have used you very much. Go, Snivy."

The snake-like grass Pokémon appeared in front of her trainer, and gave a sassy jig before engaging in a battle stance.

"Use razor leaf, now!" The small grass type summoned several large leaves, and hurtled them at the ghost across the make-shift battlefield. They hit the target head-on, and the ghost plummeted towards the snowy terrain. Upon impact, the Haunter entered a state of unconsciousness.

_Interesting. To my knowledge, he hasn't had that little Snivy of his for a very long time, and she's already knocked out Chrissie._ Sandy looked thoughtfully at the little snake on the other end of the clearing. Not wanting to use the creature she was certain would have the best type advantage, she sent out her other Pokémon.

"Go, Eleanor!" At her words, a large, muscular turtle-like Pokémon appeared before her. It was a Blastoise.

"Hmmm, let's not waste any time. Leaf Tornado, Snivy!" The green Pokémon stood with her tail in the air, whipping a large windstorm imbued with light green energy formations. She aimed it directly at Sandy's Blastoise, and caught the Pokémon in the vortex.

"El, get out of there, now! Rapid Spin against the direction of the wind current!" Heeding her master's command, the shellfish pulled her limbs into her shell before commencing in a quick spinning motion. Though the energy within the tornado had begun to transform into leaves, the Blastoise was able to escape the attack in the nick of time. However, she seemed a bit drained from the effort. Nevertheless, she followed her master's next command.

"While she's focused on that, use Hydro Pump, and hurry!" The blue turtle quickly gathered water-like energy, and dispelled it over the Snivy. At once, the snake was thrown back against the cold, snowy ground.

"Snivy, can you get up?" The raven-haired trainer called out to his Pokémon with concern in his voice, and after much effort, the snake was able to get to her feet. "Great! Can ya muster enough strength to use a vine whip?"

Nodding, Snivy shot a vine out from under her yellow collar. It quickly wrapped around the large blue shellfish, who was not quick enough to evade the attack. She tried to pull the Blastoise closer, but quickly regretted her decision, as did her master.

Eleanor, the Blastoise, had grasped the vine and was now pulling Snivy towards her.

"Snivy, get out of-" Ash had begun to tell his Pokémon to retreat, but a new strategy was formulating in his mind. After waiting until the Grass Snake Pokémon was nearly in grabbing reach, he called back out to her. "Use razor leaf, now!"

Now it was Sandy's turn to panic. She had speculated something like this would happen, and had actually prepared a counter-strategy. "Ellie, water pul-"

Her command, however, came a bit too late, and her Blastoise was subject to the grass-type attack. It hit her square in the face, and she instantly fell to the ground. On a regular basis, the large shellfish would've been able to continue the battle, but the added effects of the extreme environment were taking a toll on her, as well as the Snivy's prior attack. So, she continued to lay motionless on the ground, thus causing her trainer to recall her.

"Awww, it's 'aight, Ellie. You did a good job." Sandy replaced the shellfish's capsule onto its place on her belt, before taking out the last Pokémon she would be using.

"Go, Camille!" She tossed her final Pokéball out onto the battlefield, and a rather small serpentine creature appeared. The sight of it made her opponent visibly cringe.

"This may be a bit tough for you, but I know you can handle this! Try wrappin' this one up in vine whip, Snivy!" He knew this strategy probably wouldn't fail this time, since his adversary's Pokémon didn't have arms to reel his Snivy in by her vine. The blue serpent attempted to pull away from the little snake, but here efforts were futile.

"Tini..." She called out, looking back at her trainer hopelessly. She was new at battling, and didn't feel like this was how a battle should go. However, her master looked at her steadily, as if telling her to wait. At the last second, she belted out an order.

"Cami, use Thunder Wave, now!" Obeying Sandy's orders, the Dragon Pokémon sent sparks flying from the small point on her forehead. The electricity directly hit the opposing Pokémon, causing the snake to loosen her grip.

"Hurry, Dragon Tail!" The little serpentine-like Pokémon began to make her tail glow blue by generating dragon energy, and then dispelled it on the Snivy by hitting her dead-smack in the stomach. The strong attack knocked the Grass Snake Pokémon out almost instantly. The raven-haired trainer recalled his Pokémon, before grasping the Pokéball of his final Pokémon.

"Go, Glalie!" Ash sent out his Face Pokémon with confidence evident in his voice. He also decided to take the first move of the battle before his adversary could react. "Use Ice Beam!"

The attack almost seemed unfair, as it came incredibly fast and directly at Sandy's Dratini, who had still been recovering from her last attack. It sent the serpent flying backwards, where she landed with a 'thud.'

"Camille! Are you okay?" Sandy called out to her final Pokémon, and she slowly raised her head up off the ground. She was nearly to her full height, when she collapsed back to the ground, unable to battle. The blonde recalled her and muttered a few words to the capsule, before walking over to meet with Ash.

"You're really good. It's amazing how you were able to utilize a basic Pokémon like you did. Not many people can do that." Sandy looked at him sincerely.

"Well, thanks. Mt. Silver can help a guy. Nevertheless, you did well, too. I'm not sure how long you've been a trainer, but I can bet that you'll go far in the Indigo League this year." Ash looked down at Sandy, before abruptly changing the subject. "Y'know, that was really fun. But, what'dya say about getting off of this mountain before another blizzard hits? I have most of my things packed, but I still need to take care of something before I leave."

Sandy nodded her head, agreeing. She walked over the cave where she had sheltered in overnight and entered it. She found her bag next to the fire pit, and emptied it to make sure all of her belongings were still there. She was unsure of when she'd ever be back on the mountain. Upon seeing that everything was in check, she went over to where Ash was standing and waited for him to finish collecting his chattel. He turned to face her, signifying that he was almost ready to leave. They both walked towards the door, where he turned and took one last look at the cavern that had acted as his home for the past few months. He heaved a deep sigh, before taking a capsule off of his belt and rolling it around in his palms. He tenderly dropped it onto the floor, and the Pokémon that it contained materialized.

"I promise I will one day return." He looked at the Pokémon in front of him, and his eyes began to grow a bit glossy. "I know that I have twenty-nine more of your kind, but you have always been the most faithful. Please take care of the cave while I'm away, and please don't get hunted down by any of the other mountain dwellers."

Ash tried to keep a strong facade up while talking to the Pokémon, but it was rapidly beginning to falter as he continued to speak.

"Y'know, you're one of the Pokémon that has been with me the longest. You've helped me in a lot of tight spots, and I'm thankful for that. As... As I spent time up here on this mountain, I began to think a lot about my life, and how I've broken so many promises. But please, trust me when I say I'll be back." The raven-haired trainer had a tear threatening to fall out of one of his eyes, and Sandy turned away.

"I'm gonna miss you lots, buddy. I'll get back to you as soon as I can." Ash reached out and placed a hand on his Pokémon's head. "Goodbye, Tauros."

And with that, he turned and pushed through the doorway. Sandy followed him, and silently trailed him for a few hundred yards, before he finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry for getting so emotional back there. It's just that I've been thinking a lot lately, and I feel like I've betrayed so many of my friends, human and non-human." Sandy looked at him with a sympathetic look, while remaining quiet.

"I left my native home here years ago, and left so many memories behind with it. As I matured and grew older, I began to realize how I had never really stopped and cherished some of the memories from my early years." He continued talking, and the blonde could tell that he was about to start venting his feelings out to her.

"When I started traveling Unova, I started to rethink some of the things I've done in life. There were so many opportunities I missed, and I could have done things so much more differently. I'm not saying that I regret anything I've done, as I have met some of the best Pokémon a trainer could as for, and also some irreplaceable friends. I just never really slowed down and enjoyed them. I promised one of my friends that I'd see her again frequently. Instead, I saw her maybe twice since I left her. I continued to contact her, but as I progressed in my journey, I almost seemed to get too caught up in everything. I really miss our chats, and I can't help but feel as though she'll never forgive me. I have other friends, but there's something about her that... I don't know. I'm unsure as to how to explain it, but then again, there are various things I don't understand, mainly concerning her. The reason, I'll never know why, but whatever." The boy seemed to have ended his little vent, and now walked silently. He actually didn't talk much at all while traveling down the rest of the mountain, but eventually seemed to have grown tired.

"Y'know what, I'm hungry. Let's stop here and eat." He went to his bag to pull out some food, before slowly looking up at Sandy with a disturbed expression.

"Did... You... Bring... The... Food?" He said the words slowly through gritted teeth. He didn't seem angry, but rather panicky.

"No, I didn't..." Sandy drawled the words, and at once, Ash went into hysterics.

"We're gonna STARVE!" He ran around the area and began looking under rocks and digging through snow, hoping to find some food. Sandy sat quietly, laughing at the comical sight unfolding in front of her.

"Ash, chill. I don't know how long it will take us to get to the bottom of the summit, but I do know that we won't starve. Just... stop being silly and keep leading us down the hill."

"BUT THERE'S NO FOOD!" He had come very close to her face, and had shouted the words right into her ear. She cringed, and then thumped him on the shoulder.

"Would you stop acting so childish? You're what? Sixteen? I'm no expert here, but perhaps you should save your energy so you can walk to the base of the mountain without dying." He looked at her with a scowl on his face, but picked up his bag and decided that she was actually right.

"I find it intriguing how you can go from such a serious, solemn person to one that overreacts upon discovering that there is no food. Let's go." The blonde pointed to the downward part of the mountain, and Ash started walking, though looked quite unhappy while doing so. They walked maybe a hundred feet, before he began to complain.

"I'm hungry."

"Then eat some rocks or something. Snow would be all right, too."

"But that's not very nourishing."

"Whatever." Sandy rolled her eyes at him. Normally, she was rather immature herself, but not quite like he was. He was just starting to moan about how his feet were tired, when the blonde whipped out her Pokédex.

"You know what? Why don't you just get out your silly little Pokédex and switch in one of your Pokémon capable of _flying_? Isn't that a splendid idea?" The sarcasm in her voice was obvious, but he chuckled in response.

"That's a great idea, I already have a Pokémon all too capable of that already here!" He whipped out one of his capsules and tossed in proudly onto the snowy ground. Out of the sphere came a large, orange dragon-like creature. Sandy felt her eye twitch upon seeing the Pokémon, but wordlessly pressed a few buttons on her Pokédex before receiving a new capsule that contained a Pokémon that she could use for flying.

"G-Go, Ezreal..." She dropped the sphere onto the ground, and a Skarmory screeched out cockily once he materialized.

"Ezreal? Isn't that normally pronounced 'Ez-Ree-Ahl?" Ash looked at Sandy curiously, before she sighed and explained the pronunciation of her Pokémon's name.

"Yea, but I just thought it would be nice to call him something different. Now, come on, EzREA; let's fly down the mountain a bit. She mounted the steel bird, and Ash followed suit on his Charizard. They both tenderly kicked their Pokémons' sides, and they both began to take flight down the mountain.

"Hey Sandy..." The silence that had come over the two trainers didn't last long as Ash barraged his new comrade with new, pointless questions.

_This is going to be a long ride,_ she inwardly though to herself as they both made their way down the summit, all which feeling gentle flurries of snow lick at their faces.

* * *

_Author's Notes: But... But Pokéstar... I thought you said you'd either update on Friday or early Saturday? You lied?_

_Well guys, I finally got this one done. It was actually kinda fun to write, and I really don't have a whole lot to say about it, other than I'm sorry that it's a bit late. However, I do have miscellaneous subjects I wish to address down here._

_It has come to my attention that some of you have stayed around and reviewed my story... This really means a lot to me. The most prominent supporters that have reviewed for me have been _Wafer_, _Ready to fly_, _Jemzyboz_, and _Arthur Dewalt._ I really wish that Ready and Wafer had accounts, because I've really wanted to thank them for their continued support! As for Jemzy and Arthur... I really wish you guys could check out their stories. I know Jemzy is writing an amazing PokéShipping fic right now, and I also heard somewhere that Arthur might be releasing something soon... Anyways, I'm just pointing how thankful I am to all of you. I'm also pleased at how many followers I have, and I appreciate your support, too!_

_Oh! I almost forgot. In my last chapter, I quoted one of my friends in my story... it was 'Cfghjlljgdstuhvf.' I would re-edit my last chapter and put this in there, but I'm not sure how to do that. Either way, I vowed to my bud that I would use her quote and credit her for it so smh..._

_Anyways... See ya'll sometime within the next three weeks... Oh, and don't forget to **Review, Favorite,** and **Follow** if you like my work!  
_

_**Word Count:** 8,936 Words  
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